An Amazing Testimony

So, I had originally planned on completely switching blogs to Glogster-http://buffaloee.glogster.com/mrs-underwoods-teacher-page/. It is a really cool way of blogging, but I think that I am going to keep that one as my teaching blog for my students to go to and this one will be for everything else. 


On a different note, I wanted to share with you guys about a special girl that I had the great privilege of meeting while doing my student teaching at Salem Baptist Christian School. Her name is Rima Boulos. She was one of my students in the 4th grade there at the school. However, she did not sit in a desk like the other students that I had. She skyped in to participate with the class. This is because Rima has leukemia. 


I remember being a little nervous the first time that Rima skyped in while I was teaching a lesson. I didn't really know what to expect. She made it so easy for me right from day one. Her joyful spirit and willingness to learn were so apparent. Not only that, but I never heard one negative thing come out of her mouth. When her classmates got the opportunity to talk to her, she would selflessly ask them how they were doing. She would listen intently to them as they would talk about things that were going on in their lives. 


Through my student teaching, I learned that she loves the Lord with all of her heart. She is not just a blessing to our classroom and the whole school, but she is a blessing to everyone she comes across. She has had some awesome opportunities to reach out to her community. Here she is being interviewed on a secular radio station: 

And here she is sharing her testimony at a conference:

Wow! What an amazing testimony she is! I guess I had two purposes in posting her story. #1- I would ask that you pray with me for Rima's complete healing. This is a link to her Facebook page group- http://www.facebook.com/groups/108047912561835. It is a closed group, so you have to request to join the group. Her mom posts updates. Reason #2 for posting- Rima has such a wonderful testimony despite going through a trial. My struggles pale in comparison to her's, yet I find that I am quick to complain about my situation. Rather than complaining, Rima decides daily to use her trial to bring glory to God. 


I am so thankful that the Lord brought her into my life!

Four Principles on Rejoicing Through Trials Rather than Blaming God

Dr. Don Carson was the speaker this past Sunday morning at Colonial Baptist. I wanted to share my notes from his message with you concerning how we react when faced with a trial. The way I approach trials that I am going through is totally the wrong way, and his message outlined principles that I hope to keep in mind the next time I go through a trial. So here are the notes that I took. Maybe they will be useful to someone else :)

Four Principles on Distinguishing Between Blaming God and Rejoicing

James 1:12-25

1. When you are struggling under trial, remember the Christian's goals (vs. 12)

            *During trials, our faith generates perseverance

            *Perseverance generates maturity

            *The Crown of Life is the Christian's goal. It will be life at its consumative best! It will be          worth it all!

2. When you confess God's sovereignty, do not misunderstand God's motives (vs. 13-15)

           *Genesis 22- God tested Abraham to prove Abraham's faith, NOT to induce him to sin

           *Definition of temptation- impulse to do evil. God has nothing to do with evil, so He would not tempt us

3. When you feel abandoned or crushed, do not doubt the goodness of God (vs. 16-18)

           *God is ONLY good

           *He gave us birth through the Word of truth. The Word of truth is the Gospel, so this new birth is referring to regeneration (vs. 18). This is the greatest demonstration of God's love to us!

IMPORTANT- when you are going through great trials, cling to the Cross!

4. When you hear Gospel instruction, do not merely listen to it.

           *The Gospel has already saved us, but it continues to save us or TRANSFORM us

           

I hope that maybe this was a blessing to someone. I know it was to me when I heard it on Sunday. 

Some Pictures from Megan's Wedding Weekend

I finally have some pictures to share with you from Megan's wedding weekend. :)

Beautiful Megan at her bachelorrette/lingerie shower. This was taken while the teams were competing to see who knew her the best!

The second game was a competition to see who could make the best wedding dress out of one roll of toilet paper and tape. Above is Team 1 with Megan- Janelle, Carmen, Lora, Brittany, Sarah, and Grace. Flower girl Grace looked absolutely adorable in her dress. Her headband was a nice addition.

This is Team 2 with Megan- Kristin, Brittany, Jamie, Andrea, Beth. They chose Beth as their lovely model. The halter was a nice look for her. They also decided to use a cute headband.

Team 3 with Megan- Blair, Leah, Morgan, Alex, Connie, and Tammy. Their model, Morgan, looks very lovely in her one strap piece. The headband was a popular addition as you can see. They also added a cute flower.

And here is the winning team- Team 4. On this team are the following- Brooke, Pam, Sandra, Emily, and Christie. They chose Emily as their model. No headband for her, but the flowers at the top of her dress got her the winning votes. Very well-designed.

Megan with all of the "brides."

Megan and Josh arriving at the Rehearsal... so cute!

The bridesmaids with Megan

Mrs. Underwood and Mrs. Canedy

I have more pictures that will probably be added to Facebook shortly, but here are just a few. Congratulations to my beautiful cousin and my best friend. You are such a godly woman, and I am so happy for you and Josh. 

What's Been Happening

Hmmm... so you might be wondering where those pictures that I promised are. I am terribly sorry, but I have been at the beach and totally forgot about adding them. Chris has the computer at work, but when he gets home I will add them. :)


Me and Chris got to go to the beach this past weekend, and it was very much needed. I am so thankful for the beach condos that my Grandma Jones and Papa Buffaloe bought for the families to vacation at. They are/were such loving and giving people. 


I enjoyed laying out and swimming both at the beach and the pool. What I really enjoyed was just relaxing and being with some of my family. My family is so special to me, and I enjoy any time that I get to spend with them! 


I also made a bunch of jewelry while at the beach. This was a hobby that I started doing a while ago (inspired by Hilary Pierce), but I got lost in all of the business of my life. This is something I really enjoy doing, and I might add pictures of the finished pieces later (when I add pictures from Megan's wedding weekend). The beads are made out of paper, and if you are interested in how the process works I would be happy to tell you step-by-step how it works.


I have been attempting to get into better shape by eating healthier and starting the P90X program. This was something I did last summer. I got about 3 weeks into the program before my volleyball season started, and I did not seem to have time to stay committed to the program. Now, I am very motivated and hope to make it all 90 days. I am on day 8, so I have a little while to go. But,  I am already seeing results! I already feel much better, and I think I have dropped a few pounds. 


And last but certainly not least, I have thoroughly enjoyed married life so far! Chris has been really busy, but he still makes time to go on dates with me. I am the luckiest girl in the world! I have had to make a lot of adjustments in trying to be a housewife, but I am slowly getting there. I know that it is a process. I think my favorite part, so far, has been the cooking. I think I get this from my mom. 


Anyway, just wanted to give an update on life. Hopefully, you will be seeing another post with pictures later tonight. :)

Megan is married!

My beautiful cousin, Megan, got married this weekend. I couldn't help but flash back to some memories I have had with her. We were best friends since we were babies. We enjoyed singing together in front of our family. I think we were trying to outdo each other in the following video:


http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1753496642736&set=a.1375814360915.2050932.1398510094&type=1&theater


Even though our families were often together and we were expected to hang out together, we actually enjoyed being together. We shared secrets together, stayed up at all hours of the night together, got scared together, talked about boys together, and laughed (a lot) together. 


I have missed her so much over the past few years, being at different colleges and in different states. But her friendship is still as special as ever to me. I cherish the times that we do have together. One of those times was this past weekend.


It started off with her bachelorette/lingerie shower. I was in charge of games. We played "How Well do you Know the Bride?" The ladies were split up into four teams and had to answer 20 questions about Megan. It came down to a tie between two teams, so we had to have a bonus question. In the end, the following team won: Alex, Morgan, Connie, Blair, and Tammy. 


We kept the same teams for our next game. Each group had to select a model and design a wedding dress for their model to wear. However, their only supplies were a roll of toilet paper and some tape. I was very surprised at the quality of the dresses. I will be posting pictures in my next blog (when Chris gets home with his computer for me to load the pictures on). The winning team for this game was Sandra, Emily, Pam, Brooke, and Christie. 


We ended the night by enjoying some food, Megan opening her presents, and all the guests writing down some advice for Megan and Josh. It was such an enjoyable time! 


The next day was rehearsal day. Again, I wish I had my pictures to upload now. Megan was absolutely beautiful! We did the obvious rehearsing of the wedding. We enjoyed some chicken and barbecue from Smithfield's in the fellowship hall at Catawba Springs Christian Church. It was a great time of fellowship with family and celebrating Megan and Josh. Then, we went back to Megan's house. We painted nails, got our wonderful gifts from Megan, and watched most of Cinderella. 


The next morning, we arrived at Megan's house at 9:00 AM to get our makeup and hair ready. We then made our way (a little bit late) to the Rand Bryan House to get our dresses on and get pictures. It was such a special moment watching Aunt Christie and Morgan help Megan get into her dress. It is a wonder that I didn't cry; I was on the verge. 


Megan and Josh got pictures together before the wedding, so we got to see Josh get his first glimpse of Megan. As I watched beautiful Megan walk out to Josh, I shed my share of tears seeing my Uncle Johnny tear up. It was such an emotional and special moment. 


After pictures, we just waited until 2:00 for the ceremony to start. It brought back some memories of about a month ago, when I married my best friend. When the moment arrived, it seemed so surreal. The ceremony and the reception were both beautiful. (I know that I have overused the word "beautiful", but that word so accurately describes the whole day.) As Megan and Josh left the reception, I thought back to times when we talked about boys and getting married. We both always talked about the day, but we never thought it would arrive. Now that day has finally arrived for both of us, and so close together too! We are so blessed to have found men that want to serve the Lord and that we can spend the rest of our lives with. I am so happy for Megan and Josh, and I hope that we can find a time to go to the beach together and go on double dates. I will always be thankful for Megan's sweet spirit and her desire to be a God-honoring woman. 


Like I said, pictures will be in my next post (which will be either today or tomorrow, I hope). 

Wanting to Make a Difference

So often, I get comfortable with my daily routine and forget to look at the needs of those around me. However, this is exactly the opposite of what I should be doing as a follower of Christ. I should be actively seeking opportunities to show others the love of God. 

Our world is SOOOO corrupted with sin, and I should have a desire to reach out to the most sinful of them all! I cannot say that this is always true in my life, but I do want to make a better effort to make a difference in the lives of those I come across. 

There are the obvious people that I can reach out to- my students this coming year and my volleyball players. 

BUT...

I want to go out and make a difference. So, I am looking for suggestions from you. What are some things that I can do to reach out to people? I am brainstorming myself, and I already have a few ideas. But... I want input from others as well :) 

I'm Back :)

I have really been enjoying the blogs that I have been reading lately, so I thought that it might be a good idea to try and start blogging again. It has been a while for me! Even when I was "blogging", my posts were few and far between. I hope that I can be a more committed blogger this go around.


Things in my world have been crazy and busy the past few months. I finished my Elementary Education degree at Piedmont Baptist College. Two weeks after graduation, I got married to the love of my life and best friend. Our honeymoon to Jamaica was absolutely awesome and relaxing. When we got back home, we were welcomed back to busy, busy, busy lives. 


Chris is the manager for Yolo Dessert Cafe (www.yolodessertcafe.com). Since the store just opened up about a month ago, Chris has spent a lot of time there. It is delicious, and I highly recommend you stopping by there if you are ever in the area. 


As for me, I am tutoring, babysitting, camp counseloring, and volleyball coaching. I am also preparing for the upcoming school year, in which I will be teaching part-time at Wake Christian Academy. The Lord opened up this unique opportunity for me to be sharing the classroom with a teacher, who is having to miss part of the year for education purposes. I am so excited to be working with her, and I know that I will learn a lot from her. I will also be coaching JV volleyball at the school, and I know that I will be learning a lot from that too! 


I want the main purpose of my blog to bring honor and praise to the Lord. I look to share things that He is teaching me. I will also share updates on life and things that I am learning through coaching/teaching.