Tuesday, June 4, 2013

when God says go

i mean, you gotta go, right?

two weeks ago, i woke up with the clear need 
to go help relief efforts in oklahoma.
i texted my friend to see if she would join me.
she had already applied. through some crazy, 
God-ordained circumstances,
marge and i ended up in shawnee, oklahoma
serving with samaritan's purse (sp).

  
shawnee had been hit with an estimated ef4 tornado
the same day as the close-by town, moore.
due to the large magnitude of moore's tornado,
shawnee has been overlooked by much of the media,
but their pain and hurts are just as deep.


samaritan's purse is serving at multiple locations throughout shawnee.
we ended up in a trailer park that had been pretty much destroyed.
our job was simple: 
clear rubble and look for family keepsakes
with a smile and a glad heart.
  


so that's what we did for four and a half days.
from clearing trees to rooting through glass in the dirt,
we work as heartily for the Lord.


but my favorite part was when we finished a property.
sp gives a bible to every homeowner they work with.
all the people who work on their property sign the front
and write something to the homeowner.
whether the homeowner is a believer or not,
it is definitely an emotional moment as we say thank you for the opportunity to serve them in the name of Jesus.



i could go on and on, sharing funny and God glorifying stories,
but i think i'll ask you to pray, instead.
pray for healing and restoration for those effected.
pray for the families we have worked with, that their hearts would continue to be softened to the gospel.
pray for endurance for those who are still working.
pray that God would use local believers and sp workers to share and shine Jesus.

many thanks to those who were praying while we were away
and will continue to pray!


cincerely,

*prayerful and hopeful* cindy

Sunday, May 12, 2013

PinterTest Kitchen: delinquent post

welp, this is awkward.

i'm a bit late in posting,

BUT i hope you enjoy this pinter-test.
lemme tell you, i sure did.


reese's bottom no-bake mini cheesecakes.



yea, it's a mouthful.
but dude, totally worth it!
easy to make,
delicious in your mouth,
but a little hard on the waste-line.
i give this recipe four and a half blondes.
hope you get a chance to enjoy them
in the very near future!



missed the link-up, 
but you should check out other folks'
 recipes from this month!


cincerely,



cindy

Friday, May 10, 2013

10 on 10: simple blessings

i haven't felt like blogging much of late
and i really didn't want to blog today.
it has been a rough two years month day
and i finally closed the page on a joyous, yet painful book.

as i struggled with whether or not to participate
in 10 on 10 this month,
the Lord convicted me to photograph blessings 
that He has provided this day,
no matter how small.

here are a few examples of some simple blessings:




love hate relationship with my bed;
i love to be in it and i hate getting out


 a family that loves to explore

clean towels

this song.
repeat, repeat, repeat.

a beautiful place to workout.

 a head band acquired in Nepal 
that reminds me of where i've been
and that God isn't done with me yet.

clean dishes!

coworkers i can count on to eat my stress baking

 
these girls make everything awesome



   

cincerely,

*blessed* cindy


ten on ten button

Friday, April 26, 2013

hi and hello

I've been a bad blogger lately.
"Have" should really "am," especially since this quick little blog comes from my phone.

Last week, I started day shift at work.
It's been an answer to prayer to be sure.
I miss my night crew somethin fierce,
but I am excited for new relationships and new challenges.

What I'm loving most about day shift is that my need for God is acutely displayed.
I get anxious, rushed, discouraged, and feel worthless more easily in an old job with a new routine.

But I am grateful that my Great God reminds me of His power, His faithfulness, and worth He bestows.

Also, please be praying with my church and I as a team of two is headed to South Sudan to bring physical and spiritual good to a people being starved. They will be gone about two weeks.


"4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.
5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;
6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:4-7




Cincerely,


Cindy

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

10 on 10: the last vampire edition

welcome to the final night-nurse 
edition of ten on ten!


gonna miss workin' with these fools

oatmeal banana muffins.
come back next month for the pintertest recap.

 baseball season lunch bag
#rollgiants
 
 reheating violation

 hella fast heart rate

check up for goldie locks

 breakfast of champions

wake up juke
during fatherly advice

car wash rainbow

attempting to tame the unquenchable sweet tooth


hope you enjoyed this gorgeous day!
linking up :)
ten on ten button


cincerely,


cindy


Monday, April 8, 2013

it still hurts

when you loose someone special in your life,
it takes a while for the hurt to go away.
tomorrow marks the one year anniversary of my grandmother passing
and i'm not sure the hurt is ever going to go away.

despite missin' her somethin' fierce, 
i find immense joy in the fact that 
she is with her Savior in heaven.

today i went through some photos with my mom.
it was sweet to remember my grandma and 
how many different hats she wore.


a daughter, sister, and cousin

a friend

a mother

 a hard worker

 a beauty

 a family woman

grandmother 

 babysitter extraordinaire

adventurer


more than any of these things, 
i remember my grandmother's love for Jesus.
every chance she got, she would share about Him.
she didn't care if you had the same faith or not,
if you were eight or eighty,
or if you spoke her language.

 her bible was littered with markings
from years of studying


as painful as not having her cheerful laugh
and convicting spirit on earth,
i can't wait to be reunited with her one day
as we worship God together for all eternity.



Eleanor Dorothea Jacobs
September 1, 1916-April 9, 2012

Thursday, April 4, 2013

PinterTest Kitchen: things just got complicated

okay y'all.

i've got two recipes comin atcha this week.
one easy, one not so easy.



number one: 
crock pot oatmeal



pretty simple.
throw everything in a crock pot
and cook overnight.
the taste was good, but the texture wasn't my fave.
i think more water would probably solve that problem.
i'd give it three and a half blondes.
(sarah and vinnie....anyone? anyone?!)

number two:
carrot cake supreme

 

here comes the complicated part of this post.
i needed to make carrot cake for easter dinner with the fam.
i cast a wide net for recipes and ended up combining a few.
i used the cake and glaze recipes from above. 
SUCH a win! 
the cake-moist.
the glaze-heavenly.
but the frosting. 
the frosting can make or break a good cake.
so i went with a lemon cream cheese frosting 
and i'm SO glad i did. 
another win!

just a warning, it makes quite a bit of frosting,
but sooooo worth it!
i give this recipe an enthusiastic four and a half blondes.

hope you enjoyed this edition of pintertest kitchen.
can't wait to read what you all have done!
linking up with jessica and you should too!



cincerely,


cindy