Friday's Letters

My friend Monica has been doing this fun little link-up for a few weeks, and I just thought I'd give it a try this week.  We'll see how it goes.

Dear Husband,

Thank you for being so patient with me as we deal with my health struggles. Thank you for being so active in helping to nurse me back to health.

Love, Your loving wife.

Dear Weather,

Please cool your jets. We humans haven't done anything to spite you, so there's no reason to fry us to bits.

Sincerely, the Sweltering Housewife

Dear Laundry,

Since Weather is showing no signs of responding to its letter, you're going to need to do me a favor and march yourself outside, downstairs, around the corner, and into the washing machine.  And while you're at it, share your letter with the dishes.  Maybe they'll get the hint then.

Sincerely, the Sweltering Housewife

Dear Student,

You did fantastic at your first crochet lesson yesterday. Your mom is so proud of you, and so am I!

Your teacher

Dear CFPN,

Thank you for allowing me the privilege of walking with you for the last five years.  It's been great getting to know you all.

Your fearless leader

Dear Lord,

I'm sorry I struggle so much to make our relationship a priority.  Thank you for loving me anyway, and blessing me and Husband so richly.  Thank you for your provision, and for limiting our medical bills.  :)

Your grateful daughter.

What is Our Society Coming To? (Part 1 of ?)

Today begins a series of posts on society, culture, and the moral decline I see that just keeps snowballing faster, and faster.  I'm planning to touch on different topics, but I'm not sure how many parts this series will have, so you'll just have to bear with me as I write.  :)

I ran across this post today, when a friend of mine shared it on Facebook.

Now, I'd heard of Magic Mike and "50 Shades of Grey" but I didn't really know what they were about until I read this review from Focus on the Family's PluggedIn Online site, and saw "50 Shades" mentioned on a few other blogs I follow.  I very quickly realized that neither of these two new releases (one is a movie, and the other is a book) were things that I needed to be putting in my mind.

So, I simply haven't paid attention to them, and I have no desire to see the movie or read the book.  But, Melissa Jenna brings up some excellent food for thought in her post on these things.

Image source

1.  Christian women need to reject both of these works, and instead, use our voices in support of what is good, right and true.


If my Facebook feed is any indication, most of my friends (both IRL and online) share my perspective that we don't need "50 Shades" or "Magic Mike" polluting our minds.  But... what if we take that a step further.  What if, instead of rallying against what culture is promoting as "okay", we stand firm on what is RIGHT.  Both are good, but did you know the best way to spot a counterfeit bill is to work with real bills?  Counterfeit bill spotters don't spend their time going over bad bills.  They spend their time with the real thing.  I believe we should be doing the same.  Rather than making "50 Shades" or "Magic Mike" the center, or starting points, of our conversations, perhaps we should be devoting more time to talking about God's design for marriage, and letting God fulfill our needs spiritually, and work with our husbands to get our physical needs met.


2.  Why aren't church leaders publicly denouncing 50 Shades or Magic Mike, by the way?


I haven't seen anything from our church about "Magic Mike" or about "50 Shades".  Nothing from the pulpit, nothing from Women's Ministries.  And we just finished a 6 week "Campaign for Marriage".  But... that would have been the perfect time to address these issues, but nothing was mentioned.  I'm glad to see that many Christian bloggers have taken up the fight against "Magi c Mike" and "50 Shades", but it would be nice to see pastors actively admonishing their congregations to stay away from this "mommy porn".


3. Just because evidently this summer we’re all about objectifying men, that doesn't make it okay. It’s not like there’s a scale, and all these years, it’s been heavy on the objectification-of-women side, and we need to balance it out by objectifying men now.

I can't say it any better than the way Melissa put it here.  It's time to STOP the madness, and stand up for what is right, true, and holy.

Further Thoughts


Some comments on Melissa's blog have tried to point out that if we're throwing out "Magic Mike" and "50 Shades", that we should go all the way and stop watching TV, reading secular magazines, and hanging out on the internet.  Do I think that's a good idea?  Well, yes, and no.

I do think that God calls Christians to a high standard.  We need to be mindful of what we're putting into our thoughts.  Garbage in, garbage out, so they say.  But, I don't think that means that we're supposed to be walking around with our heads in the sand, keeping ourselves totally clueless about whats the "latest and greatest" in the secular world.  As Christians, I do think it is important that we know what our non-Christian relatives and friends are exposing themselves to, so that we can show them that God offers so much more than what the world does.  Does that mean that I'm going to head out to the local theater this weekend with a group of my friends and watch "Magic Mike"?  Absolutely not.  What it does mean, that when I have the opportunity to explain how damaging mommy porn can be to a woman's view of sexuality, not to mention her self-worth, I'm going to do so.

Some people may tell me,"Oh, you don't know what you're talking about because you haven't read the book or seen the movie".  But that's not the point.  The point is... is "Magic Mike" and "50 Shades" good, right, true, pure, holy entertainment that we would be okay watching or reading with Jesus, or does God call Christians to something way better, and far beyond the imagination of any secular screenplay or book writer.

What are your thoughts on how we should respond to "50 Shades" and "Magic Mike"?

What happened to the Farmer's Market?

Since my sister left me a comment on a previous post, I thought it was a good excuse to write a new post.

We haven't done the Farmer's Market in several weeks due to inventory levels, weather issues and consignment opportunities.  We'll be skipping this Saturday again, but then we'll be there on the 7th of July.

In the mean time, I've got a few projects to do.

Right now I'm working on a blue blanket for one of the consignment stores that has a few of my pieces.

I'm also going to be working on cell phone holders (I'm going to attempt to make my own pattern based off one that I found.  And I'll make some of these.  So far I've just made one, but it sold the first week I had it on my table, so I'm hoping they'll sell well.  I'm looking forward to getting seasonal towels too, and using different colored cotton, so that I can get those into consignment stores over the winter.  They're fast, easy, cheap, and I can sell them for a pretty good profit!  All great qualities!

Giving Praise Where Praise is Due

I don't like to flood this blog with talk of what I do, because everyone needs a break from work, especially those in ministry like myself.  But, the truth is, having one spouse directly involved in full-time ministry means that we live on one "traditional" salary.  That can be a challenge under normal circumstances, but it's especially true in this economy.

We've had several unexpected expenses crop up over the last few months, and I thought I should share how God has answered our prayers for provision.

1)  We thought our car needed $1,200 in repairs.  We took it over to one of Daniel's friends' house to rotate the tires, and Daniel's friend's dad listened to the car, and said that the repair really didn't need to be done unless we wanted peace of mind.  At this point... we don't need to pay $1,200 for peace of mind if the car is running great.  So, that little visit saved us $1,200.

2)  Daniel's wisdom teeth need to come out, and we suspect that bill could be about $1,000 if we have to pay out of pocket.  But, he should be able to get dental insurance through his work, which means we only have to pay $14/month and probably a small co-pay.

3)  I have an appointment to see a specialist in Seattle about a medical issue that's been dogging me for about the last year or so.  We will have to pay out of pocket for this one, since the specialist is out-of-network, and we haven't met our deductible, but the estimated cost from the specialist is just about what we'd thought it would be.

And... the blessings keep coming!

1)  Daniel was able to be a part of a focus group at our credit union a few months ago, and as part of that, he received a Visa gift card which we were able to use for our expenses.  The credit union called us again this morning to ask if BOTH of us want to participate in another one this Wednesday, which means that we both get Visa gift cards and fee dinner!  Yay for "free" groceries for the first half of July and the ability to put more money into savings!

2)  I've been working hard on my crochet business, and a few days ago I dropped my first set of items off at a local maternity and baby boutique for consignment!  I have a meeting with a second maternity and baby boutique this afternoon, and I have a third store that is interested in my items!

3)  Daniel received his annual vacation pay at the beginning of June, and it was double what we were expecting!  We were able to put most of it directly into savings to cover those upcoming medical bills I mentioned.

4)  We received a check in May in response to the fundraising letter we sent out in December.  That came right when we needed it too!

We're thrilled that God has been providing for our needs, even ahead of when we actually need it.  We're looking forward to seeing how He continues to provide for our needs in the future.  If you'd like to join us in prayer, here's what we're praying for, very specifically.

1)  That my consignment items would sell very well, but also that I would be able to keep up with demand!

2)  That God would provide the finances for a set of tires for our car, that the bill for my medical appointment would be minimal, and that Daniel's wisdom teeth extraction would indeed be covered by insurance.

3)  That God would give us wisdom to know how to handle Daniel's time off for the Fox family vacation in August.  When Daniel doesn't work, he doesn't get paid, and knowing we still have several large expenses coming up, it's difficult to fathom taking time off work.

Farmer's Market Friday

I thought I'd take a break from the deep topics, and blog about something a little more mellow today.  :)  This summer I'm participating in our city's Farmer's Market, which happens on Saturday.  Tomorrow will be the third week I've done it so far.

The first week went really well.  The second week was awful.  Hopefully I'll strike a balance between the two tomorrow.

So... Farmer's Market Friday.  This is my day to make sure I'm happy with my inventory, and play catch-up if I'm short on anything.  Last night, DH helped me by tagging and pricing several items that I've made over the last two weeks, so those things will be ready to go tomorrow.  This morning I took a look at my inventory and discovered I was pretty much out of my baby hats, as well as my 1-3 year hats.  So... I'm working hard today to replace all those.

Later this afternoon I'll jump on the bus and go to the bank to get the float for the market tomorrow.  It will be an early morning tomorrow, since vendors have to be there by 7, and the market opens at 8!

If you think of me, please pray that my items will sell well!

Are you crafty?  Do you like to make things with your hands?  What do you make?  Do you sell your crafts?

6 years later... 6 memories

So, after yesterday's post, I wasn't sure what to write about next.  I asked for ideas on Facebook, and my husband came up with this:

What was the single most notable experience you had in Haiti, that you will never forget? Why? How do you want to move forward from that experience?


It's been six years since I spent five weeks in Haiti.  I taught English for three of those weeks, and followed my team leaders (who had lived in Haiti previously) around for the other two.  It's nearly impossible to pick just ONE notable experience.  There are several that stick out in my mind.

1.  Landing in Port-au-Prince
I will never forget what it was like landing in Haiti for the first time, on my own.  I flew in on my own, because I was coming from Ft. Lauderdale, and my team leaders were coming from Miami.  My flight landed 30 minutes before theirs did.  So, after disembarking from the plane, I got my suitcase, and planted myself right in the middle of the airport, and proceeded to just take in the sights and sounds around me.  There were police with big guns, and very few Caucasian faces!  I don't remember being scared, just knowing that I wanted to be absolutely sure that I was able to meet up with my team leaders as soon as they landed.  I think this experience changed me for the better because I realized that I could travel on my own, and wasn't scared to do so!

2.  Traveling in Haiti
While I never drove in Haiti, I certainly rode in enough vehicles, and from what I could see, drivers in Haiti are CRAZY!  There are no lines on the roads, though they do tend to drive on the right side of the road most of the time, it definitely gets exciting if someone coming toward you decides to pass a slower moving vehicle!  Throughout my time in Haiti I rode in a Mitsubishi Montero, a Daihatsu dump truck, and a tap-tap. Even though the Montero was a good solid vehicle, and the tap-tap was brightly colored, I think my favorite of the three was the Daihatsu dump truck.  Our team rode, standing, in the back of the truck.  Coming back from the Universite Chretinne du Nord d'Haiti one day, we got soaked by a passing rainstorm.

One of our team leaders with our borrowed tap-tap

3.  Meeting the rest of the team
As I mentioned earlier, I traveled by myself to Haiti, and met up with my team leaders.  We were joined about five days later by nine students from a different college.  I'd never met any of them before, and while I would like to say I'm still good friends with all of them today, that's just not the case.  We only had about a month together before they returned to Canada.  But while we were all together, we had a good time, and they were welcoming to me.  I do wish I had gotten to know them all better.  Here is a picture from the day we picked them up at the airport in Cap Haitien.

At the Cap-Haitien Airport

4.  The accident

I'm sure this is the one thing that we would all like to forget, and I hope the others have forgotten, but an experience that will be with me for the rest of my life was the day a young boy ran into the side of our truck. As I recall, we were driving back to our compound at about dusk, and all of a sudden, a young boy ran out into the road, and right into the side of our truck.  He had apparently been visiting family on one side of the road, and wanted to cross to the other side to get home.  Haitians are known for being an emotional people, and as soon as the accident occurred, there was a HUGE crowd around our truck.  It was obvious that we weren't going to be driving anywhere until the boy got medical attention (he had a gash on his head), so the ten of us on the team piled out of the back of the truck, and walked the rest of the way back to our compound.  It wasn't too far, but I remember being kinda nervous because it was getting dark by this point, and none of us spoke the language.  We made it back to the compound safely, and a few hours later our team leaders returned from taking the boy to the hospital.  I'm not really sure how I can move forward from that experience, or what I can learn from it, but it does stick out in my mind as a major event in my trip to Haiti.

Our team in the back of the dump truck

5.  Teaching English

This was the stated "purpose" for my trip to Haiti.  I needed to fulfill an internship requirement in order to graduate with my BA, and I needed to teach English for a certain number of hours to graduate with my Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages certificate.  My team leader gave me the advanced class, and basically put me in charge.  Two of the other members of the team acted as my assistants/co-teachers for the three weeks I was teaching.  Some things that stick out to me about my class:

-  I was younger than most of my students

-  They didn't like homework any more than I liked grading it!

-  Most of them were eager to learn.

-  Some of them didn't even really need to be there, because they were quite competent already!

Part of my job as teacher was to teach them a Bible verse.  I can't remember now which verse, or verses, they had to learn, but I do remember that I threatened them with a pop quiz.  The next day, I was too sick to even get out of bed, so my team leader had to teach my class for me.  Apparently my students were NOT happy that they still had to take their quiz that day!

Looking back, I think I enjoyed teaching more than I thought I did at the time.  I still don't really like lesson planning, or grading.  I would much rather "teach" in a conversational setting where the topic may be chosen in advance or otherwise assigned, and I much prefer working with intermediate or advanced students rather than complete beginners.  If I had the chance to go back to Haiti and teach again, I definitely would.

Teaching!  That's me on the left side with my arm in the air

6. The people

I met so many precious people on this trip.  When we weren't teaching, we would visit orphanages or other orphan care organizations in Cap-Haitien.  With the whole team, we also visited the local Christian university which I mentioned earlier, as well as a local medical clinic.  After the nine other team members left, I tagged along as my team leaders visited family and friends of theirs who were still in Haiti.  I met two Haitian pastors, St. Ange, and Codo, and their families, and I also got to meet my team leaders' son-in-law's parents!  They don't speak English at all, but scratching at mosquito bites is sure a universal language!  At one point, the husband of the couple we were visiting handed me a bottle of Calvin Klein cologne, and motioned that I should spray it on my arms.  So I did.  And it worked.  The bites stopped itching almost immediately.  And I smelled good for the rest of the day!

But I think the thing that has stuck with me the most is the children.  They're precious, and they just want to be loved.  The children at the orphanages loved it when we came to visit and play games with them.  Here are some pictures of those precious kids:

            Karma and two kids                          Our team at an orphanage

One day, I would love to be able to give a Haitian child a forever home.  I think THAT's the one notable experience I had in Haiti: the way the country, and the people, wiggled their way right into my heart, and stayed there.

My Heart Broke

Two weeks ago, our church hosted their first "Justice Weekend".  We had a speaker from International Justice Mission, and various other speakers throughout the weekend, as well as a great display created by people from our church about human trafficking.  We went right from the church service with the IJM speaker, into the display, and by the end, my heart was broken.

I learned a lot that weekend, not just through the display.  In addition to the speaker from IJM, we also had a speaker from an organization in Cambodia, who told a story about a little girl who came into their building, and just watched him vacuum, and then she ran out of the building.  I don't remember the whole story, but eventually, it ended up that SHE would vacuum, and he just sat and was available for her to do that.  After one of these times, they went out to get something cold to drink.  The concept of being available to those around you, and being open to God changing your day around struck me as important.  I'm still trying to figure out how to incorporate that sort of thinking into my life.

Did you know that there are many different kinds of human trafficking?  I think the one we are beginning to hear  lots about is sex trafficking, especially in SE Asia.  Did you know that humans are trafficked and brought here to the US to work on farms?  They are "recruited" from places like Thailand, and told that they will have a good job here, but when they get here, they have to work to pay for their transportation and room and board and they can never earn enough to pay their "owners" (my word) back.

Another kind of human trafficking that made me cry were the 'restaveks' in Haiti.  These are children whose families cannot support them, so they are sent to work for relatives, or even complete strangers, in exchange for room and board.  They have to work from dawn until dark, and even though there may be school children their age in the family they are serving, the restaveks do not get to go to school.  They have to stay home and work all day.  I believe that all children deserve to be able to go to school, don't you?
*UPDATE* Here is the link to a documentary CNN filmed on the plight of the restaveks. Thanks for the link, Mandi!

The third type of human trafficking that makes my heart hurt is the sex trafficking that happens right here in the good, old USA.  I'm appalled by the promises of modeling careers, or better lives, or stable relationships that people use to lure these girls into the trade.  Thankfully, there are organizations & campaigns that want to help these girls.  One of them is SOAP.  They have a hotline, which sex-trafficking victims can call, and get help to get out.  They put these numbers on bars of soap, and leave them in high-risk motel bathrooms.  As part of the display at our church, we were asked to label bars of soap while we listened to the story of the victims, so that those bars of soap could be taken to a high-risk motel in our local area.  I'm glad that something is being done locally to rescue the victims of sex-trafficking.

Have you ever had your heart broken by God over a particular issue?  What did you do about it?