1918

Photo taken in 1918 at Camp Dodge. 18,000 men training in an army camp. How cool is that?

Thankful....

Right now I am really thankful for my roommates. This year they have become my family. I come home everyday and we laugh and have a blast. Most of all, they love me despite my weakness and I am blessed to have found people like them in this stage of my life.

Sarah Day- thanks for always listening to me and always wanting to hang out. I have so much fun with you. You mean the world!

Colleen Langley- thanks for laughing at me and making me laugh every night, thanks for encouraging in the Lord and praying!

I love you both!

I had the best weekend.

I am loving my new book club. Even though we only met once.

I am being broken and humbled more than ever before.

I miss my friends.

I loved seeing Marcella, Alex and Andrew on Saturday.

I am way being in grading because I had too much fun this weekend.

My Dad and Mom just celebrated there 25th year at Fellowship in the Pass Church. It was amazing.

I love my life, may I always remember the blessings.

The Students and I in Ukraine

Longing vs. Discontentment

I think, perhaps, these two things have such a fine line between them. and lately the difference between them in my life is unrecognizable.

How do you find the healthy balance of keeping your deepest longings and not becoming discontent with them? I don't know if I have met any woman who has been able to conquer this.

I think and wonder if the longings should not be there, but that can't be right, we have desires, God promises to meet them if we first delight ourselves in Him. BUT my longings turn into deep discontentment in .00001 seconds. It might even be quicker than that. So should they be there? I must admit that most of what I long for has not been met. That is hard.

Maybe my deepest longing needs to change?

Maybe my deepest longing should be Him. Him, Christ, my Savior, Redeemer, Counselor, friend..... Yes, thats it.

But how? its harder than it sounds. It shouldn't be hard at all. He is beautiful and wonderful.

I believe Lord, help my unbelief.....

I'm in Ukraine.... Hi Koren.

We are here, it is going well. I am feeling better. We are planting trees today at the orphanage and the students are doing a great job with everything. Pray for us! Jenni, tell Bas, Jon and Rick that I hope the praise night goes well.

I miss everybody. Love everybody.

Curtis, just read your blog from Ukraine. Ho-made fries? ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.

Bye!

UNCOMFORTABLE

If anyone reads my blog that seriously you would remember the challenges that I set for myself last summer. It was called "Do Hard Things." I expanded my list a bit on my own. I thought I would update you on how that is all going.

1. One of the things was to get knee surgery. arghh. Did it. Found out I have a disease. The tumors are back. Which makes running a 5k impossible for me at the time, which was the next thing on the list. Oh well. When life gives you lemons right?

2. One of the things I challenged myself to was to become a better musician. Well, God thought I was serious on that one. Since then, I auditioned and became a professional Dickens Christmas Caroler. Got paid to sing all weekend. BUT it was stinkin hard. I had to train my ear to hear an alto note and find an alto note when they played the soprano note on the pitch pipe. eeek. Did it. Sang for Carol Channing, she said we were wonderful. If you don't know who she is, she starred on Broadway as the original Hello Dolly and starred in the movie "Thoroughly Modern Millie."
AND I learned to play, very simply play, the accordian and trumpet. Working on learning the cello as well. I know 5 notes on the cello. I love learning instruments. Who knew? It is amazing what we can do if we challenge ourselves.

I had a conversation with a great new friend at church named Kat VanRhee. She and I were discussing that it is important to not remain comfortable. And we agreed that it is not only related to spiritual things, it is just good to challenge yourself in many areas. She ate sushi, I learned the trumpet. and yes, those are equally hard for Kat and I. =)

3. The next goal I had was to become a morning person. I am getting better and since then have enjoyed the occasional early morning. When I get up, I enjoy them. There is something special about morning air, the quiet of the streets, the sunlight, and just being up earlier. I think maybe we were designed to be up. Well, I need help on this one.

4. One of the goals was to become financially responsible and aware. I am currently enrolled in a class at my church called "Financial Peace University." Dave Ramsey rocks and I feel enlightened. Finally getting there. Plan to be close to done with my loan this year and live debt free. Woot woot. Working on it. Definately not there yet. BUT sure am learning. The detailed budget is the kicker, stick to it Merea, stick to it!!!!!! Us singles have a hard time with impulse purchases and the "we owe it to ourselves" lie. Here I go, hard things. man.

5. Keep in touch with friends better. that is my next one. Stephanie, what do you think? Have I done better at all? =) and Rachel Marshman, I have been meaning to call you chica!!!!!! I am working on it. ha ha ha.

6. Tap into my inner thespian. It has been peeping out more and more lately, well, it is full blown. I love performing in musicals. I have been in 2 this year. and realizing that I should have been doing this more. I love it.

Do hard things!

Much love from the aspiring thespian, accordian playing, trumpet blowing, dickens caroling, tumor infested, financial guru, early mornin lovin(hating sometimes), ever failing and trying again.... Merea

Peace.
(the picture after my show the other night, fake eyelashes, oh sweet theater makeup bliss)

Ecclesiastes: The Wisdom of King Solomon.

We open this weekend! Here is what I have been up to:

Come See the musical I am in...... or just look at the cool pictures.

The pictures turned out interesting. Come see the musical. Ecclesiastes: The Wisdom of King Solomon.
GO TO:
lifehousetheater.com

Brokenhearted

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and lifts those who are crushed in spirit.

my heart is heavy for the brokenhearted.

All year long I have been dwelling on the brokenhearted, I even remember praying specifically for brokenhearted people on new year's eve.

In this unpredictable life, when things don't work out like you thought, when you question everything, when your heart breaks in two....

He knows the way you take....(Job 23)

He holds your tears in a bottle...(Psalms)

He is a shield about you and the lifter of your head...(Psalms)

He gives hope...(Romans)

those whose mind is stayed on Him, He gives perfect peace...(Isaiah 26)

So stay your mind on Him dear brokenhearted, fix your eyes on our treasure Jesus. Your strength and your heart may fail, but He is the strength of your heart and your portion forever....

The Lord has promised good to me
His word my hope secures
He will my shield and shelter be
as long as life endures

as long as life endures....


One day, all of this will end, we will remember our tears no more....

Hold on. HOPE ON.....

A couple things....

I was cast in Lifehouse Theater's production "Ecclesiastes." It is a musical and I will be posting more about it later.


the Transformed Conference with Ray Comfort, Todd Friel, Kirk Cameron and Emeal Zwayne was at our church this weekend. It was one of the best conferences I have been to. The speakers are biblical and challenging, and really brought the heat from the pulpit.

Around 2,000 people were at our church on saturday and multiple people commented that this was the most hospitable and servant hearted church they had ever worked with. Praise God! I love our church. Must have some good leaders.........



One is my Dad....

Wasted?

This new year's eve I went to a happenin party. Swing dancing 30's theme. There was also a time of worship to ring the new year in, and I was able to sing and play the piano in the band. I suppose the highlight of the night for me was one line, in one song we played....

He will wipe away your tears and return your wasted years.... This is our God.


Do you ever feel like you have wasted time? I do.

I hope I focus less on myself, my desires, my longings and my dreams.... and more on others. This is that place that I have wasted an extremely large amount of my time. What do I want to do? Why is nothing happening to me that I want to happen to me? It seems that any deep desire I have is not coming true.

A wise woman, my mother, once told me that pride is selfish focus on yourself. Whether it is puffing yourself up or pitying yourself.

It was my sophomore year of high school. All girls go through a self loathing period in high school in which they think nothing goes their way, everyone is prettier than them, their parents hate them, no boys like them, and the world revolves around them. Don't lie girls, you remember it. I remembering going through one of those self loathing times, and my mom told me, "You know Merea, you're being really prideful right now." WHAT?!!!!!! I hate myself, I'm not prideful!!! lol. Then she gently explained to me my unhealthy fixation on myself and MY life is selfish. I will never forget that conversation as long as I live.

It is sooooo true and we women(I say women because I've never been a man, but I'm sure they are the same) need that reminder so often. Especially in our self-loving, self-worshipping culture.

Christ died for every bitter thought and every evil deed so we have no guilt in life and no fear in death...

May we take captive every thought this year.... and watch God restore the wasted years.....

Happy New Year friends. Thanks for reading....

From Merea.....just me....

One of the joys of this season, that I cherish so dearly, is being with family and friends. Another is receiving Christmas Cards from my dear friends and their families. It is so cute to see my friends, their spouses, and their children as they posed for their card shot and wrote about the year they have experienced. I enjoy reading and being updated on their lives.

So, I would feel really lame as a single. No family. Just me. If I sent out a Christmas picture and update. But I thought I would do so here, on my blog. So, here goes....

Merry Christmas from Merea!

This year has been an eventful one for me, not in the way some would hope, but in a way that God has designed.

Allyson came home from Turkey around this time last year. I invited her to a New Year's Eve party I was attending and she invited a boy. That boy shortly became her boyfriend, fiance and husband. It was fun being maid of honor in her wedding and seeing God provide a love for her that loves Him even more. It was hard too, because you see, I am the oldest. Many comments were made about people feeling sorry for me because my younger sister is getting married before me. I'm okay. It was an exciting time for all of us. God knows what He is doing(I must admit, that sentence costs a lot for me to say and believe, but I do).

Later on that spring, I was a lead in a really fun musical. I have had a lifelong dream of being a musical actress and I got this great role. I got to sing like a large african american woman(which, if you know me, you know that I fit the part well), be the sassy villain, and dance around performing like I had always dreamed. Because of that show, I have been asked to perform in a few different places. and so the bug has bitten.... I love it!

During spring break I was asked to chaperone a trip to Ukraine with my students. So many of them have a heart for the nations now, it was a blessing buying 150 pairs of shoes for 150 orphans and watching my students pass them out, knowing that was the only pair of new shoes they would receive that year. My job, it is great. "Whatever you do to the least of these....."

That summer I returned to Ukraine, but with my church trip. With a miracle gift and a tax return I was able to go. This trip meant so much. There were 3 team members 70 years old or above. Each of them became a special friend and mentor to me. That is one thing that I love about church, my church in particular. The diversity of age. I sat with a new friend who was involved in espionage during the Cold War and knows how to speak Vietnamese who taught me to love the nations even more. A 75 year old woman who spent her life telling her kids and sunday school class about missions and said "its about time I go on mission after teaching it for so long." and a few others in their 50s, 40s, 30s and 20s. When we got there the fields were ready for harvest, and people were hungry for the gospel. It was awesome. I could write for hours about what God did. I meant a girl name Mira, she still comes to my mind often. She came up to me and said that she read my blog and we instantly became friends. She taught me how to be passionate and serious about sharing my faith. I hope we will meet again. On the way home, Jenni, one of my other younger sisters and I were walking through the airport and she told me she thinks she was in love....

So this fall she got engaged, to Jake. (see previous blog) I will never forget that moment. =)

This fall I have been teaching and planning school events. We had a theme of Monopoly for homecoming(which I am in charge of) and it was a great success. Glad that it is over though....

My best friends, Stephanie and Marcella gave birth to Andrew and Anna. Amy got married and we all met in Colorado Springs for a wonderful time. That might have been the highlight of my year. My 4 best friends and I were finally together again. I miss them so much. I'm the only single one left now. I am so thankful that God has provided each one of them with Godly men and wonderful families.

This Christmas season I became a professional singer for some extra money. I auditioned to be in a Christmas Caroling group. I made it. It was a lot of work, but a lot of fun. I am growing as a musician because of it. Which fits into my summer challenge to do hard things.

I had knee surgery and they found that I had a rare disease called villonodular sinovitis. Yeah, tumors in the joints. They are back already, so pray that they will leave. =)

Highlights of my personal year:
a few of my students wanting to witness to the nations after they listened to my lesson on the unreached.
Another writing me a note and saying they want to serve God more when they walk out of my classroom.
Praise God for using me, despite me.

All in all, I realize how much God loves me and that His love is not shown in circumstances, in earthly treasures, in dreams fulfilled, because I feel like I have none of those. But I have Christ. My treasure. He shows His mercy new every morning. His promises fulfilled that He will never leave us or forsake us. His promise that He will give us a future and a hope....

and hope in Him does not disappoint...

and Jenni, the beautiful, is engaged.....

and Jake rocks. I thank God for providing such a wonderful man for such an amazing person. I love you both.

and so the family grows. It is so fun.

All is Well

The song I will sing this Sunday is called "All is Well." This song has ministered to me in so many ways throughout the years. It speaks of the coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, to earth. As I break into my holiday traditions this year I decided to focus and meditate on one specific name of God......EMMANUEL. God is with us. God came to us, He walked this earth, He died on the cross and forgave us. These are the lyrics:

All is well, all is well
Angels and men rejoice
for tonight, darkness fell
into the dawn of love's light
Sing Alleluia

All is well, all is well
let there be peace on earth
Christ is come, go and tell
that He is in a manger
Sing Alleluia

All is well, all is well
Lift up your voice and sing
Born is now Emmanuel
Born is our Lord and Savior
Sing Alleluia
Sing Alleluia


No matter how bad things can be, no matter how worried we get, how discouraged, how burdened, how afraid, how poor, how abused, how weary we become, how dark the future looks, how hard it is to continue......

Let us remember that PEACE has come.....

with tidings of great JOY....

FEAR not....

Rejoice! For the SUNRISE FROM ON HIGH has come to give light to those in darkness and in the shadow of death
and to guide our feet into the way of PEACE....

ALL IS WELL
Born is now EMMANUEL
BORN is our LORD and SAVIOR

Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world

All is well.

I got my sticker.... Did you?

DON'T YOU JUDGE ME....

I think that most quoted verse in our nation right now among the young people is "don't judge, lest you be judged." There is actually a shirt that a band put out that says in big white letters, "DON"T YOU JUDGE ME!" Along with being the most quoted, I think it might be one of the most misused.

Recently I was in a conversation in which the other person said, "I can't judge them, who am I to say what is right and wrong?" I suppose that person is right if we define it right. We do NOT decide what is right and wrong, that's true. God does. However, I think most people who say things like this mean that they have no right to tell people what is right and wrong because, according to them, that would be judging. I disagree. and I think I have cause for my complaint.

We are not the ones that can determine what is right and what is wrong, God does. BUT He wrote it down for us. In the Bible. Telling us how to live, where our morality should point, and how we should think. The Bible is clear about what is right and wrong. Guess what? We can read it. Actually, He commands us to know it, love it, and even TEACH it. What? You mean teach what is right and what is wrong???? No way, thats not my place, I can't judge, blah, blah, blah.......

Yes. Teaching the truth of God's Word is teaching what is right and what is wrong. If something or someone is rebelling against what it says, it is wrong. We should, as the scripture says, minister TRUTH in LOVE. Always loving, always remembering that we were great sinners, but we have a great Savior. and He has made our wrongs disappear by the power of His blood. The best thing we can do for someone is to point them to the Great Judge, who saw them in their wrong and sent a Son to erase their wrong.

I do believe there are some who judge wrongly and we should make sure we avoid that. However, so many trade the opportunity to share truth because they don't want to offend.

Offending is not judging.
Standing up for right and wrong is not judging.
Speaking truth is not judging.

We can know what is right and wrong and speak about it. We cannot judge. That's God's job. See the difference?

Oh Lord, if this were lost instead, and all I had was you, I would be rich, and have the greatest Good....

I can't comment on this one. Just thinking, praying, praising.

Practicality from Proverbs....

So I was reading in the Proverbs the other night, I actually read through the entire book. So interesting. The wisdom of the Word never ceases to amaze me and the message of the Proverbs speaks quite directly to our culture. Wisdom is the same today as it was back in the day. Just thought I would write a few down for you to read today…


“Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.”

“Go to the ant, O sluggard, observe her ways and be wise.”

“Where there are many words, transgression is unavoidable.”

“When pride comes, then comes dishonor, but with the humble is wisdom.”

“As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout, So is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.” (good one!!!!)

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.”

“He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently.”

“The backslider in heart will have his fill of his own ways, but a good man will be satisfied with his.”

“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

“A rebuke goes deeper into one who has understanding than a hundred blows into a fool.”

“A good name is to be more desired than great riches, favor is better than silver and gold.”

“Do not associate with a man given to anger, or go with a hot-tempered man.” (girls, seriously)

“It is better to live in a corner of the roof than in a house shared with a contentious woman.”

“A constant dripping on a day of steady rain and a nagging woman are alike.”

“Like a madman who throws firebrands and death, so the is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, “I was just joking.”