Words of Life

I grew up in the Bible belt, in a suburb of Atlanta. My husband was raised in the buckle of the belt, Texas. We both grew up seeing Bible verses on cars and shirts. We grew up very familiar with public prayer around the dinner table at restaurants and even at sporting events. 

We now live in Arizona, outside of the Bible belt. Seeing a Bible verse on a car or on a t-shirt is few and far between. We hardly ever see anyone pray over their meals when we are eating out. For us, it is culture shock. When I do see someone praying over their meal, I am encouraged and will stop and speak to the people that prayed and tell them that it encouraged me. Obviously, we are of kindred spirits and it is refreshing to be encouraged by a complete stranger sometimes. We never know how our actions testify of our relationship with Jesus Christ.

Yesterday, a friend of mine shared with me that she was wearing a shirt with a verse of Scripture on it and she said that several people stopped her and told her that they were encouraged by the verse on her shirt and that they needed to hear that. She was encouraged that something so simple had been an encouragement to someone else. The verse was Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." 

I also recently thought about the time that Tim Tebow wrote John 3:16 on his eye black during the 2009 BCS Championship Game between Florida and Oklahoma. During and after that game, John 3:16 was Googled over 90 million times! People saw John 3:16 and wanted to know what it said!

This brings me to the point, why are we so afraid to share verses of Scripture with our family, friends, and neighbors in their times of need? Are we afraid of the backlash or the criticism? Are we afraid that we may lose them as a friend or we may be labeled as a 'Bible thumper'? God's Word is what people are craving. They have an emptiness inside of them that only HE can fill. Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart."  And 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." These verses remind us that God's Word is alive! It is perfect for all situations that we face in life, we just have to be willing to search it out and read it with clarity. We must be careful not to take verses and twist them to say what we wish to hear. 

What if, instead of turning to man's words, we turned to God's Word and encouraged one another with words that will not return void and with words that bring life. These words will never fade away, they will stand the test of time. I dare you to speak LIFE into someone's life this week and hide His Word in your heart in order to be ready for any circumstance that may come your way. 

"but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;"  1 Peter 3:15

Arizona State Fair

Yesterday, we went to the Arizona State Fair! It was homeschool day so we were able to go almost FREE! The kids participated in a Read & Ride program that allowed them to ride three rides for free upon the completion of reading three books and writing a book report on each! We had a great time! 

The highlights of the day were: the petting zoo, talking with the youth that were in 4H and getting their animals ready to show, racing lemurs, racing ducks, riding rides, and eating cotton candy! 

Needless to say, we had three sleepy kids on the way home!

 Easton LOVES animals. Every kind of animal!!

 Lauren chose to ride the merry-go-round as one of her rides!

 Lily was chosen from the crowd to race a duck! Her duck won the heat so she got to race in the finals!!

 Optimus Prime!!

 Burgundy is a Holstein from a dairy farm in Buckeye!

 Lily cracks me up!!

 Easton's favorite super hero!

Lily and Easton chose to ride bumper cars. It was their first time! They had a blast!!

Opportunity to Grow

I was awakened to an early phone call for my husband. Soon after, I heard the stirring of my son and decided that it was time to rise. I stopped, recently, I have stopped more frequently to take time before my feet hit the floor so spend earnest time in prayer. Praying before I get out of bed became a routine after I spent time with my Zambian friends at overnight meetings. They would sing a song that said, "In the morning I pray, I pray to you Lord" then they would pray. I was convicted and changed.

In my routine, I had become more programmed in my prayers, "Father God, please guide me today in my words and actions that I may glorify you. In Jesus' name, Amen." Then I would jump out of bed and quickly forget that I had even prayed. It's quite interesting what suffering, strife, trials, and difficulties will do to a person's prayer life.

Through this long season of suffering, I have returned to passionate prayer and intentional intercession. I had failed to cry out to Him before crying out to my husband or my friend. But in suffering, its funny how we run back to our Savior and ask Him to carry us and to sustain us. I believe that suffering not only causes us to suffer but draws us near to the Father's heart, if we so desire. His Word and His will truly are water to a weary soul. Why is it that in the good times of life, His Word isn't so much of a deep desire or need it's more of a filler?

We can't always understand the reason for our suffering, but as for me, I see it as a time to refocus, draw closer and return to our first Love, Jesus Christ. Suffering is not always fun, but it may be some of the most amazing times of spiritual growth. I know that in my own life when I look back at the spiritual markers along the way I can see that my times of growth were in conjunction with times of suffering. I choose to praise Him in the suffering and spend more time drawing near to His heart so that I can hear His heartbeat and slow my heart enough to have my heart beat in rhythm with His.

May we never forget that although we may feel alone and that our cries to the Lord are being screamed into a vacuum, know that they aren't and that He hears them all. In fact, we are top on Jesus' prayer list. In John 17 we see the High Priestly Prayer. If my Savior intercedes for me, how can I fail? May we see through the storms of suffering an amazing opportunity to grow in the Lord.

"I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours; and all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them. I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are.  While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled."

John 17:9-12

Clear Evidence

In a recent article, author, Michael Paulkovich boldly defends his book, "No Meek Messiah: Christianity's Lies, Laws and Legacy"*. He states that after combing through 126 historical texts he could find no evidence or personal testimony that Jesus Christ existed. He sites many historical texts and boasts that no one has any testimony of Jesus Christ.

Very interesting.

I then began to research and dig to see for myself. I had never been posed with this exact debate and found myself searching and reading and diving into Scripture in order to formulate my own thoughts.
I found some great articles with sound doctrine contradicting Mr. Paulkovich's bold assumption.
The interesting and ironic fact about these testimonies is that they come from pagans who were not Christians. Even the pagans testified of Jesus Christ.

Tactius (56-120 AD)

Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular.”

In this account, Tacitus confirms several historical elements of the Biblical narrative: Jesus lived in Judea, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, and had followers who were persecuted for their faith in Christ. **

This is one of the many testimonies in the article defending Christ's existence.

The portion of the article that I found the most disturbing and disheartening was: 

The apostle Paul – who is widely credited with spreading and expanding the foundation of what would later become Christianity – never makes reference to Jesus as a real person, Paulkovich notes.

“Paul is unaware of the virgin mother, and ignorant of Jesus’ nativity, parentage, life events, ministry, miracles, apostles, betrayal, trial and harrowing passion,” he writes. “Paul knows neither where nor when Jesus lived, and considers the crucifixion metaphorical.”

I was dumbfounded. Since Mr. Paulkovich seems to be a knowledgable in historical research, the fact that he neglected to research the life of the apostle Paul, baffled me. The apostle Paul was not alive 

Here is the evidence to debunk Mr. Paulkovich's theory and research. 

• In his letter to the church of Corinth Paul writes that the resurrected Christ appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus (1 Corinthians 15:6-8)
• Paul describes Jesus as being born of the biological lineage of David (Romans 1:3)
• Paul believed that Jesus' death was a voluntary sacrifice that reconciled sinners unto Christ (Romans 5:6-10; Philippians 2:8)
• Paul also says that Jesus is the One through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, "including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ". (Romans 1:5-6)

Conversion on the Way to Damascus by Carvaggio

These are just a few of the numerous times that Paul speaks of Jesus Christ. As Christians, we have God's Word to stand upon when we come across articles like this that tend to cause us to question our faith. We need to stand on God's Word because it is without fault, it is infallible (2 Peter 1:20-21). Along with God's Word, we have our own testimonies of how Jesus Christ grabbed us out of the mire of our sin and redeemed us and set us free. Our testimonies are numerous...salvation, freedom from addiction, resisting temptation, His provision, His healing, and so many other ways that we have seen Jesus Christ move and work in our hearts and lives. That is one of the biggest things that we have to defend that Jesus Christ DOES exist! He is NOT dead! Look at what Paul says in Romans 15:18-21

For I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed, in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit; so that from Jerusalem and round about as far as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. And thus I aspired to preach the gospel, not where Christ was already named, so that I would not build on another man’s foundation; but as it is written,

“They who had no news of Him shall see,

And they who have not heard shall understand.”

As Christians, we have a story to tell. What if Paul had remained silent? We would not have the majority of the New Testament. His boldness and obedience to sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the midst of great trials and strife is a testimony enough that Jesus Christ IS ENOUGH! When we don't know what to say, go to what you know. What you have lived, seen, experienced..that is your testimony. Your Creator God allowed you to experience all that you have thus far in life, so that in ALL things HE may be glorified. Do not be silent....testify of the Lord's greatness in your life to share the love of Jesus with those around you that may not know Him.

NOTES:

*Original article:  http://washington.cbslocal.com/2014/10/01/author-jesus-never-existed-not-mentioned-in-126-historical-texts/

**Christian defense article: See more at: http://coldcasechristianity.com/2014/is-there-any-evidence-for-jesus-outside-the-bible/#sthash.hAWAbmyQ.dpuf

The Girl With A Testimony

For a year now, she has challenged me.
She brings forth issues that I have never really had to flesh out or face or defend.
Some would push her aside and say "why are you asking that?"...
I see it as a chance to grow to be challenged.

The path has not always been smooth for the amber haired girl.
The path has not always been smooth for the mid-30s brunette either.
The trials and temptations that she has faced have not always been the easiest.
The struggle for her makes it more of a struggle for me because wisdom from God is what I desire to impart to her.

In the beginning, she would ask to maybe argue, now she asks to defend and to grow.
In the middle, she was not too happy with my worldview or my thoughts.
Today, she is unafraid and I am unhindered in sharing what is really on my heart.

I am proud of her.
Proud of her for not being hesitant to ask.
Encouraged by how she has allowed the Lord to work in her life.
Today, she challenged me again.
She keeps me on my toes.

My prayer is that she never stops seeking, never stops asking, and never fails to grow.
My prayer is that she is not led astray and never loses heart.
My prayer is that through these seasons of life her testimony of who Christ has become in her life will be a story she tells to many throughout her life.

Purging and Rest

The moment that my daughter said, "Mama, you are always on your phone.." it hit me. The ticks of the clock that have passed and I have mindlessly scrolled through hours of articles, status updates, pictures, and advertisements....for what? I was convicted through the voice of my 6 year old daughter. The Lord spoke through her to me that day.
A friend kept me accountable and I cut the cord.
I was withdrawn, I felt lost.
During out time overseas, it was my lifeline to keeping connected with friends and family. But it had become my addiction. I admit it. I wasted so much time with my family.

I was involved in other people's drama when it wasn't my business. 

I was mentally judging others. 

I was playing the comparison game, that can steal my joy or kill your identity in Christ. 

I was also guilty of boasting in myself. 

The first moment that I wanted to post after the purge was an activity that I had done with my family...then I realized that often times I only did that to show a happy, fun family doing fun things. That is pride. 

Since that time, I have found more time for God's Word, my precious children, and things that truly fill our lives with happiness. 

"Did you see that on Facebook?" I can honestly say no.

I needed rest from the drama and futility that I found myself in. 

Jesus rested. I needed to rest. I was running around in circles trying to keep up. 

My devotion a week after I deleted my Facebook page was about rest. Confirmation. 

And He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.” (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.) They went away in the boat to a secluded place by themselves.  Mark 6:31-32

Do I think that having Facebook is sinful? NO. Do I condemn those that have it? No. For me, in this season of life...I am clinging to rest. It's crazy how much my mind was overwhelmed and absorbed with the virtual lives of others instead of embracing and cherishing the life that I have have under the roof of my home. 

Lauren's Baptism

Our sweet Lauren prayed to receive Jesus on February 3, 2014. September 27, 2014 was her baptism! She was so excited about her baptism..the whole day she was looking forward to that evening at church. As parents, we watched closely to see Jesus working in her heart and to see the fruits of the Spirit in her life. It is so encouraging to see Lauren's boldness to tell people about Jesus and to hear her pray. I know that God has something amazing in store for her life. Our prayer is that nothing extinguishes that flame of excitement for her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

 She was cheering "JESUS!!!"

Unity and The Giver

The Naming Ceremony...
At Year 9 they receive a bicycle to show their increase in responsibility and maturity.
And at the end of their childhood, Year 12, they are given their new job that they will have for the rest of their lives. All throughout their childhood the kids are watched and monitored by drones and other adults to see what they are talented at doing and the job that would best suit their personality. 

Drone pilot, nurturer, waste management, seamstress, cook, receiver of memories...

At the ceremony, each adolescent is called forward and told their occupation. Fiona was a great nurturer and fit her position well. Asher was a drone pilot. All of the youth had been placed but number 52 was skipped, Jonas. He was not given a position. Baffled, I sat and watched this as it was played out and my mind was racing. I couldn't understand why they couldn't "place" him according to his gifting. 

The Head Elder speaks up and tells Jonas that he is the next Receiver of Memories because of his outstanding performance in four areas. He was shocked and a bit hesitant at the same time. He had no idea what this calling entailed because it was so secret. 

After the movie, I began to ponder this scene over again in my head. Again, relating it to my biblical worldview. As a believer in Jesus Christ, I fully believe that at the moment that I put my faith and trust in Jesus Christ and asked Him to be Lord and Savior of my life, I believe that I received the Holy Spirit. Before the beginning of time, God knew that my name and all about me. He created me and gave me the ability to serve Him in certain capacities. He knew me in my mother's womb (Psalm 139:13-16). He watched me grow up in an amazing Christian home. He knows the areas of ministry that I struggle. He also knows what He has created me to do and He knows the spiritual gifts that He gave me. 

No, I didn't have a drone following me around like Jonas or Truman (in the Truman Show) but I did have the Holy Spirit walking by my side, going before and behind me. He gave me the desires of my heart. He gifted me with talents to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with others. 

As a member of the body of Christ, I have been "Named" a child of the King and my "gifting" is to use the abilities that he has given to me to serve His Kingdom.

"Now there are a varieties of gifts , but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are various of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good." 

1 Corinthians 12:4-7

As the body of Christ, we should all work together. We are one body. God has called some of us to be the hands of service. Others, He has called to be the mouth of teaching and preaching. And still others are other vital parts of the Body of Christ. 

"For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, through they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit."

1 Corinthians 12:12-13

As Jonas grew in his understanding of his role as receiver of memories, his bond with the Giver grew and trust was formed between the two. It is the same in our relationship with Christ, as we spend time with Him daily and grow to trust His hand in our lives and ask Him for guidance we will understand our spiritual gifts and what part of the Body of Christ we are created to be. May we never complain about the spiritual gifts that God has given us (1 Corinthians 12:14-31). May we as the Body of Christ suffer with one another in our times of trial and may we rejoice together in times of triumph (1 Corinthians 12:26). Most of all, may we serve Him with all of our hearts in order that the Body of Christ grow in maturity and love and shine the love and light of Christ to a dark and dying world. 

"Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, unified in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing out from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus..."

Philippians 2:1-5

The Giver...Right and Wrong

"If It's Right, How Can It Be Against The Rules?"

The rules...
as Jonas runs away from the community in order to save Gabe, he is confronted by his friend, Asher. Jonas tried to convince him that what he was doing was the right thing to do and Asher's response hit me and stuck in my mind. He said, "If it's right, how can it be against the rules?"

I saw the dilemma for Jonas in answering the question and the battle in Asher's mind of comprehending such a statement. The rules had been so ingrained in their lives that they didn't question the rules anymore just simply lived like robots. When Jonas begins to question, and realize that the things that he was taught were "right" truly weren't, trouble brewed.

Sheeple (Sheep + people) has become the word used for people that just follow without asking questions. The people of these communities in the story "The Giver" had become sheeple. They followed the elders no question asked. Their conscious was seered and they had been stripped of any ability to have emotion or to even really understand the depth of the pain they were causing to others.

As I watched this scene play out my mind turned to my heart and to my biblical worldview as a Christian. If we don't question why we do things, will we ever truly know if it is right? In my children's Bible study for homeschool we are discussing how you know something is true and what is right. This truly is the foundation of our lives. Each decision that we make in life is based on how we decipher between right and wrong. For Jonas, he realized that through his time with the Giver that he had literally been inoculated from the hurt and pain in this world. When he realized what was happening, he knew that the "rules" and what he had been taught were not "right". People call that a conscious, I call it the Holy Spirit. He is true and He is right and there are no lies, half truths, or fallacies in Him (Psalm 33:4; John 14:6). We as humans are sinful creatures that cannot make "right" decisions on our own. We have to have the guidance of the Holy Spirit in order to decipher between right and wrong.

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you." 

John 14:26

In the movie, the elders were the standard of truth because of their goal of sameness in order to eliminate evil. When in reality their standard fell short and was detrimental to the future of their society. 

The Head Elder said, "When people are given the choice to choose they always choose wrong." There is some truth to her statement. Without the guidance of the Holy Spirit and desiring to glorify Him in all that we do, we will usually choose selfishly and choose wrong. We, as Christians, must fully rely upon the Holy Spirit to guide us in understanding what is "right". 

"Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that He will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ."

1 Corinthians 2:12-16

So what now? As we daily walk with Christ and spend time with Him in the reading of His Holy precious Word, we will learn more about Him and how to walk with Him. As we walk we will grow in understanding of what living a righteous life is about. With the help of the Holy Spirit, and humbling of ourselves we will become more like our Savior and know better how to decipher what is "right" in His eyes. 

"But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy."  

James 4:17

The Battle

There has been a battle waging within my heart recently. This warrior is trying to choose sides but finding myself in the middle.

I've seen articles about "first world problems" and "third world problems" both can be thought provoking. After being back "home" in a first world country for over a year now. I'm struggling. Many times it's a competition to see whose problems are worse. The "first world" problems are laughed at (some should be) while third world are to break our hearts and you hardly find yourself laughing.

So why am I struggling? I'm struggling because I have seen, first hand, third world poverty. Seen children who haven't eaten in days, people dying senseless deaths that could be prevented and the struggle of life in an impoverished nation. My struggle lies in the fact that there are true problems and struggles for people in first world countries too. Currently I have close friends who are jobless (and still have a family to support), have children with terminal illness, filing bankruptcy, and striving to help a child addicted to drugs. No these problems aren't the same as third world problems, but they are still as legitimate concerns that lead me to battle within my heart. I have to confess during my time overseas I was guilty of saying that the problems in America couldn't compare to my home overseas. Now I'm seeing that it's not a competition...burdens are burdens no matter your country, race, language, or economic status. 

This leads me to look at my own life as I scroll through my social media news feed. One post is about a sweet girl fighting leukemia, then about children being beheaded in Iraq, then a mother struggling with her child's rebellion, a dear friend battling malaria, and an African village rejoicing over a new well that provides them with clean water. God sees all of these burdens and the battles in everyone's lives and He cares about them ALL. 

I am convicted, challenged, and waving the flag of surrender in this false war within my mind. We are called to bear each other's burdens (Galatians 6:2)not to say "that's not a real problem". What about those people around the world? Pray. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 reminds us to pray without ceasing. Prayer is powerful. There is a quote on social media that convicts me as well, "Have you prayed about it as much as you have talked about it?" 

May we as Christians stand in the gap for one another. No matter what race, nationality, or tax bracket...burdens are tough to bear alone.

Losing Sight

I've never been one to write a list of New Year's Resolutions or a list of goals. I guess in my mind I think that if I write them down, I won't really do them. I do keep a list of mental goals and I strive hard to reach them.

Recently, I have realized that I haven't met hardly any of the goals that I have set. In fact, I have lost sight of the things in my life that God has given me. The things that I love in life besides my husband and children are: students, recreation/running/playing sports, writing, and cooking. For several days, I have just been praying for the Lord to allow me an opportunity to use them all at one time. 

Yesterday, I put my sunglasses on and hit the road for a run. When I began to get tired I realized that there were water droplets that had dried all over the lens of my left eye. I did not want to slow my gait in order to clean them so I kept running. As I ran, I tried to focus on the spots, quickly, the path and the mountains in the distance were incredibly blurry. When I changed my focal point to the rugged mountains in the distance, the spots almost became irrelevant. I realized that when I stop focusing on what is going on now and look at the big picture, hope is restored. 

I have found myself feeling like I'm missing something or there is something more that I want to do for the Lord but the avenues for doing that haven't presented themselves. I really began to complain. Again, I love students, sports, writing, and cooking. Then the Lord hit me as I ran with my dirty glasses, He has me in the place He wants me. I have amazing students to minister to; recreational activities, a blog to write, and a family to cook for! I need to praise Him for the opportunities that He has given me to do those "favorite" things right where I am.

Don't get so focused on the spots that you are tripped up in the present. Keep your eyes focused on the beauty of the hope that we have in Christ and the eternity that awaits us. 

"Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do:forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."  Philippians 3:12-14

Lauren's Kindergarten Graduation

I cannot believe that our "baby" is a Kindergarten graduate! She has grown so much during this year that I am amazed at the little girl that she is becoming. She is so much more confident, not as timid, and is applying what she is learning to life. Tonight, she had graduation and she received the Character Trait Award for Boldness. I could not have been more proud! Boldness in sharing the love of Jesus and the message of salvation with those around her. More than anything, that is what I pray for my children. For them to know and love the Lord Jesus with all of their heart, soul, mind, and strength. Today we celebrated Lauren!

When we got home from the graduation, I was in my room and she came in crying. I said, "Lauren, are you okay?" She wrapped her arms around me and said, "these are happy tears Mama, I just am so happy that all of those people came tonight because they love me...these are happy tears." My heart was touched and those that were present, have no idea what an impact you made on our Bear Bear's heart. 

First Day of Kindergarten!

Kindergarten Graduation Day!

Receiving the Boldness Award

Receiving her diploma from Mrs. Wagner

Her Kindergarten class

Lauren and Mrs. Wagner

Lauren and Michelle

Lauren and Mrs. Christie, Sam and Alyssa

Lily and Easton were proud of their "sis"!

She did it!!

The Helgren 5

Had to have another picture with Mrs. Wagner next to balloons!

Sweet Mrs. Sylvestre!

The fam

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Her awards she was so proud!!