Gift Box

The last few days have been about catching up on a lot of things, but this afternoon I took some time to just play. This box was inspired by "The Secret Crafter's Saturday Challenge

New Gadgets

There are some new gadgets on here you might want to investigate. Look down the right side panel to find "Craft Critique" and "Making Mini-Scrapbooks." Then go down to the very bottom for some more. You could spend a fun afternoon just exploring these sites. The internet can be so fun and so addictive. Enjoy.

Pretties from June

These were done for a 4th of July challenge, but with the busyness of camps and visitors I just was not able to get them on. The challenge was from this location: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mini-books/
Also for some fun and easy instructions, check out: http://www.making-mini-scrapbooks.com/
Have a great day with joy in your heart and a song on your lips. Coleen

Sunset on the Kiev Sea in Ukraine

I caught this shot on my way home from a tent camp on the Desna River. We had a group of Americans come and do camp with a group of Ukrainians. It was a great inter-cultural exchange and a lot of fun. If you look closely in the hillside you will see a cathedral. Ukraine is famous for its lovely Orthodox cathedrals.

Pure and Pristine

This beauty, shot by my husband Jeff, from two different angles, opened in my front yard this morning. I take great joy in going out in the mornings to see what has changed since the day before. God himself, is a marvelous artist.

Making Bracelets At Camp

I'm the one smiling to the left. I love showing kids how to make bracelets and they love doing them. People in the states send me old jewelry which I break up and use in crafts of all sorts. Here necklaces become bracelets.

Showing her new creation. These pix were at the Desna River Camp last week.

Tanya and Danna

These are two youth friends who helped prepare crafts for camp. They also made wrist cuffs (laying on table), for a trial run project for youth girls, using E-6000 glue kindly brought over by Dan and Cindy Williams. Glue is one thing we use alot in this ministry, so finding the right kind, for the right project is important. Thanks Dan and Cindy.

Altered Candy Box

Our Marvelous World - Truly Amazing

Check out National Geographic's Best Pictures of the Year for 2009 on this link: http://www.fourwinds10.com/siterun_data/spiritual/pictures/news.php?q=1245101530">

Smile Cards

Thank you to all who have sent "Smile Cards." This is Pastor Misha with whom I worked last week during one of our camps. I asked if he ever visited the sick. He said, "Of course," which I expected. So with some further explanation I sent him off with a handful of cards to put a "Smile" on someone's face. He thought it was a very interesting idea. These Ukrainian pastors are paid little, if at all. Most have side jobs so buying cards is just something they've never done. I hope to give him more soon. I feel so blessed to be able to do this. Thanks again for being a part of something bigger than all of us.

Scrapbooking in Camp

We just finished a week of kid's camp at our church and what fun it was for the children to be able to scrapbook their whole camp experience. Besides beginning to learn how to scrap, these albums the children made have another great purpose behind our doing them. When they go home and are shown to friends and relatives, they are full of verse, Christian songs and pictures, besides being pretty in themselves. They are a witness for Christ and His love in the church. To Him be the glory.

The Refreshment of Rain

I've discovered an interesting phenomenon in my garden. We can go for long dry periods where I water heavily to keep things alive and preserve my blooms. Yet, after a rain, regardless of the watering I have done, things just sprout up with new life. It truly does show who is the One in control of things. I can keep them alive, but God is the one who really gives the beauty. Maybe that is how our spirits are in life. We can live what seems like a pretty good life. We pat ourselves on the back and say, I'm not doing too bad. Yet, we really don't know the missing piece, because we don't even know there is a piece. There is a yearning in our hearts that we try to fill with all sorts of things. It can be TV, shopping, busyness so we don't feel the deep sadness, friends, workaholism, and all the other ism's. There is only One who can fill that empty spot, but it requires something from us. It requires our trusting. It requires our asking Jesus to intercede in our lives,,, to help carry our burdens. He knocks on our heart door, but he never pushes on it. He's waiting for you to open the door. Well, you say, I don't believe in all that! That my friend is what your head says, now ask your heart. Deep down, ask your heart about the pain and the emptiness. Or maybe you are too busy to even get in touch with such things. On the other hand, maybe it is too confronting. These things we can't understand with our heads, our thinking, these are things of the heart.
Jesus said;
"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with me." Rev. 4:1

"For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
The Lord will give grace and glory;
No good thing will He withhold
From those who walk uprightly.
O Lord of hosts,
Blessed is the man who trusts in You!" Ps 84:10-12

First Day of Camp in Bucha, Ukraine

Craft team along with the guys from Antioch Baptist Church of Conway, Arkansas did a great job of decorating for our week long kid's camp. Today we had 60 children and it will grow from there. The sign in the window greets the children with "WELCOME" in Ukrainian and you can see the kids sitting beyond that. Please pray that more will come and God will bless.

The Weedy Berm

We live in the woods. It really is much like Arkansas, only more pine and less deciduous trees. We really like it. As a matter of fact, we feel extremely blessed to be placed in such a lovely location. When we moved here our yard was all woods as well. This is a shot of a portion of our back yard. The bermed flower bed happened out of a bare weed pile of dirt that was left from some of the early construction. It is rather like us when we start out in life. God carries us through many trials during our lives and slowly replaces the weeds with lovely flowers. That is unless we allow bitterness to come in. That comes out of not trusting in the One who really is in control of all our circumstances. Some of us have been through early and difficult tragedies. Amongst several lifetime challenges, my mother died when I was the oldest of four, age 15. We can take such things and we have a choice...."we can get bitter or we can get better." We won't know the "why," answer to some of these things until we arrive in heaven, but we can be sure that God has a plan and uses "all things for good to those who believe" ....to put flowers where there were once weeds. So despite your difficulty today, or in the past, trust the One who loves you with a tenderness even your mother didn't have, for he rejoices over you. Just think of how he loves loves.
"The Lord they God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing."
Zephaniah 3:17

Back Yard Beauty

I just cannot resist these marvelous creatures. Yesterday my dear husband was in town for only 8 hours so I picked him up at the airport and we were together until I took him back. While out, I spied a garden center (these are relatively new in Ukraine) and had to go take a peek. As if I don't have enough lilies in the yard, a good price on one almost done for the season, tempted me and came home with me. Though this is not it, I wanted to show you the richness of this one in my back yard. I have to keep hunting new spots to tuck in the lilies and roses. So far no new roses this year, but along with the lily came home a chrysanthemum of variegated red and white. Maybe I'll get a picture of it on here later, but it was so lovely I couldn't resist. Good thing I don't do the same with lost dogs or I'd really be in trouble.

The Gratefulness Spot - 365 Days of Gratitude

Now long ago I posted a picture of our ladies class. Now I'm showing you what we are doing. These books are very simple, but we work with what we have and these ladies have never done this before. We are documenting our gratitude daily and posting it in a book where we can also put photos, verse, poems, songs and just whatever they want. These first pages give honor to the church and pastor. The rest is monthly gratitude. We meet on Thursday this week, so I would appreciate your prayers for them as they get in touch with all the blessings God has given.

Princess

We have three wonderful grandchildren. This one is Jordan and she is the middle child who will be a whopping 4 years old very soon so I made her a special birthday greeting from Grandma. She does look like such a princess, doesn't she? I was able to be at her big sister's birthday and her brother's, but since I couldn't be at hers I sent her this surprise card. We miss a lot of birthdays and special events being on the mission field, so we just have to be creative in how else we do things. I do miss them, though. Fortunately, God gives the grace.

God's Splendor

I hope I don't bore you with these beauties from my garden. I find myself these days continually being drawn outside and this is lily time. Lilies and roses are amongst my favorites, therefore, I have several varieties. I am so often just amazed by God's great creation. The detail and variety he makes is truly incredible. Have you taken time to stop and really see what He's done? If you want a real treat, go to a botanical garden, but I can tell you His wonder is as close as out your back door. You know the old saying...."Stop and smell the roses?" Just do it and remember Who made it all.

Pretty Boxes

My daughter Leah brought these two plain cardboard boxes home from her camp week in the Carpathian Mountians of Ukraine and I thought they would be perfect to decorate for giving bracelets that I make. The interior is done with felt and mesh and includes one of my bracelets done with a vintage button. Though I've decorated many things before, the immediate inspiration came from a challenge at Secret Crafter that you can find here if you'd like to see more others have done: http://thesecretcraftersaturdaychallenge.blogspot.com/