Something for FREE

Guess what? You can download this audio book for FREE on Christianaudio.com!! Every month, they offer a different book for absolutely free. You better believe I'll be taking advantage of this offer monthly! :) This month's book "Not for Sale" is exactly what I want to be knowing more about. With information like this, we simply cannot plead ignorance when it comes to caring for those in distress. The knowledge is out there... we just have to read it.

Download - Christianaudio.com

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to be alone with you

So, this past weekend I was at a staff retreat. Apart from the ridiculous work of getting old-timers to catch the camp spirit... I absolutely thrived! I love camp!

It made me remember all of the fabulous weeks at Covenant Harbor in Wisconsin (where I spent one summer during college) and Hidden Acres in Iowa (where I spent one/two weeks every summer growing up) and thank God for the blessing of fellowship with believers out in His creation.

One of the night events was a talent show, and in typical Nichols fashion, I was in three groups (all thrown together on the same day, of course! :). Heather and I performed a parody of Freefalling... which we had masterfully adapted to We Love Honduras, complete with anecdotal verses that had the crowd laughing (at us or with us, I'm not sure). Then, a group of talented ladies sang "Love Song for a Savior" by Jars of Clay with some sweet harmony.

And my favorite was a duet performance with my friend Heidi, the high school art teacher and fellow lover of good music, the song, "To be Alone with You" by Sufjan Stevens. I loved it so much that I thought you should hear the real version by Sufjan himself.

life is like the dentist...

I'm sure there is something profound that could come from that thought... but in the meantime, this is such a delicious tidbit of reality that I had to pass it on. I originally found it through a cousin of mine (thanks Michelle) and then decided it should be shared.



Oh, my! How did this dad keep the camera straight???

praying for Africa

I just wanted to post something tonight to ask you to pray for my dad while he is in Africa. For those of you who don't know, my dad left for Africa over a week ago and will return in about a week. He and another man from my home church, Denny, are humble farmers from Iowa with a desire to share their gifts and talents with the people of Kenya. My dad caught the missions bug last year when he lead the first agriculture-related trip to work with PACE Kenya - the local organization we support.

When he came back, his stories were amazing. I really believe it changed his life, opening up parts of the world and his heart he'd never thought or expected. So this year he was drawn back with fresh ideas and another bag of tricks for the struggling farmers in the region. I praise God for the way he is using my dad to work out His purposes in Kenya... and the obedience I see as such an example in responding to the call.

This is the most recent message I've received.

They report both frustrating challenges and incredible encouragement.
Praise: They have not yet had to "teach" about raising fish!
They are feeling well and rested. There is great excitement about the poultry project and the people are so appreciative. PACE sends their greetings and thanks to our church. Dick and Denny report wonderful answers to prayer and thank all who are remembering to pray.

Prayer: They have 200 baby chicks that need heat at night to survive. So far the heat lamps are keeping them alive. Please pray that the electricity will remain constant (not a given) until they can get a generator in place- hopefully Monday. They also are having trouble with the incubators for the same reason.
They have 2 more days of teaching, then they are going on some farm visits.

I am praying that God blesses the work of their hands... and also that they are blessed by the people, relationships, and just creation.

photo scavenger hunt!

If you haven't participated in an unruly competition of 'photo scavenger hunt' I sincerely suggest it. Last night, I was chilling with a few amazing students for dinner when the plan hatched. For the next 15 minutes we hastily made the rules:

45 minutes
take a picture of each thing on the list
meet back at Quizno's
winner gets the glory

I know, not exactly complicated, but A LOT of fun! We split up into teams of two and captured these moments on camera (not mine because I was silly and left it at home):
-chewing 5 pieces of BIG RED gum
-posing with a street vendor
-doing a handstand on the sidewalk
-inside a fountain
-holding a menu to a restaurant
-with a banana
-lifting weights

We frantically rushed the city and returned to the Quizno's quite out of breath... I am proud to say Alexandra and I beat the other team handily (although we didn't figure in that one of them is currently wearing an ankle brace, but hey, it's a competition!). We took a few victory poses and compared our ridiculous pictures. My least favorite was me with an uncomfortable amount of Big Red chewing gum sitting on my tongue.

GOOD TIMES! We have a re-match scheduled for Monday and I'm definitely bringing my camera this time!

Well, this morning I am off to the teacher's retreat. I'm hoping to find some rest, relaxation, and possibly some sweet outreach ideas.

I hope you all have a splendid weekend!

did I mention I now teach PE

Okay, so the blogs had a couple rough weeks. Sorry. But, did I mention I now teach Physical Education to 10th and 12th grade?

That's right folks. Not only am I slightly less than qualified to teach students sitting in desks, now I'm also trying to teach students who wander around with no anchor, forget their gym clothes, and constantly complain about the heat.

When I told my siblings (on the most ridiculous conference call ever made), they couldn't stop laughing! I can't really blame them. During my first class, with the 12th grade girls, it was raining so we were forced inside with no lesson plan. Within five minutes, someone was straightening her hair, another girl pulled out an evening dress to show off, and two other girls whipped out cell phones to take pictures of the 12th grade boys PE class (dutifully on task within eyeshot!!). How did I get into this mess?

I have to admit the humor. Without laughter I might have given up alltogether. I'm teaching three PE classes a week so that our PE teacher can take a college class at the nearby university where she is finishing her degree. I know it sounds crazy, but I'm doing my best to not appear as desperate as I feel to make this arrangement work out without too terribly impairing these girls' physical education.

I'm holding on to Psalm 94

Psalm 91

¹ He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. ^a]">[a]

² I will say ^b]">[b] of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."

³ Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare
and from the deadly pestilence.

⁴ He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

.

.

¹⁴ "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

¹⁵ He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.

¹⁶ With long life will I satisfy him
and show him my salvation."

I'm just going to keep on delighting in His promises and know that HE alone sustains, protects, defends, comforts, and guides.


But... just out of curiosity... how would you teach a high school girls PE class? The next sport in the lineup: badminton. That ought to be interesting... real interesting.

hearty whole wheat bread, and other things I should do more often

I wasn't so sure when I started out. All I knew was that I discovered a gem (whole wheat flour) randomly on the shelf at a grocery store and I simply couldn't let the opportunity pass without a good attempt at homemade bread.

I am good at making excuses. I'm pretty great at it, actually. Homemade bread takes an ENTIRE afternoon - that's a big chunk of time and I boast a pretty packed schedule. Blah blah blah. But, today, after efforts to meet with students failed, I decided I would put the time to good use. I chose the "hearty whole wheat bread" recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook my roommate brought back after Christmas. I had to do a few things on the fly after forgetting items and wrestling with the ice cream bucket (still our only bowl big enough to mix in)... but, four hours later the results were remarkable.

I think I could have consumed both loaves if not for the carb-guilt that follows!

I wish you could see the steam coming off these delicious pieces of goodness! And taste the hint of brown sugar in the hearty mixture!

As I was thinking and waiting and grading and punching down dough and thinking and rising and flouring and waiting... I came up with some insight I want to start applying. Nothing new really (is it ever?).

It is simply this:
I'm going to set out to change my should(s) and could(s) to did(s)

Grammatically a mess, I realize, but after watching four hours turn into a glorious creation, I knew there was more to be had than an absolutely fabulous piece of hearty goodness.

I'm very much like my dad in many ways - I laugh a lot, I live for conversation, I like to really know people, I am constantly scheming about the next thing, and

i

am

a

dreamer

I can easily pass an entire day writing about dreams of what could be and what should be. Dreams are enchanting; in fact, sometimes I would rather live in dreams for the absolute endless possibilities . When it comes down to it (and where my mother is such a great balance for my dad), things just need to get DONE.

Hearty, whole-wheat bread is not an impossible thing. It's not a dream that can never be realized. On the contrary, in a few short hours, many can be blessed by its goodness. In the same way, there are very practical things that can move from the 'dreaming' category into the 'done it' category.

Let's see how that works out!

What are things you'd like to move from 'dreaming' to 'done'?