Happy Birthday Micheal!!!!

Today is my nephew’s 12th birthday!  I can still remember the day, like it was yesterday, 12 years ago when I got the phone call that he had been born.  I was living in Arizona, still in college at Arizona State University.  Now, here we are 12 years later (he’s almost a teenager!), talking on Skype, still living far apart.

We’ve spent more time away then together, and distance has always been difficult for me.  It’s not fun always missing birthdays, holidays, and family time; but the times we DO have are lots of fun.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHEAL!!!

Christmas 2003

Carving Pumpkins

On our dream Harley

Kristy and Micheal visit me in Africa

Our Volcano Taco Contest

I LOVE YOU MICHEAL!!! YOU’RE MY FAVORITE NEPHEW!!!

My online community

I’ve heard many people talk about online communities vs. real life communities vs. social networking communities etc. People blog about it, debate over it, and discuss whether your online community is as valuable as your in person community.  While it differs from person to person, let me tell you about mine:

I recently sent out an email about a personal prayer request and issue that I am facing at the moment, and I have been overwhelmed by the support and encouragement I received from my online community (emails, fb, twitter).  I do not have a strong support group where I live (for many obvious regional reasons), so I have come to depend on my online community. While I wish that I had a stronger community where I live, I would never discount my online community as just a “social networking tool’.  They are my friends. They are my family. They are my rock.

So, if you are one of those people that think of the online communities as an artificial, surface group of people, who only communicate in a non-personal way, THINK AGAIN!  And if you are part of my online community, let me just tell you this one thing: YOU ROCK!

Capturing Moments: Summer/Fall of 1977

Yesterday I was completely surprised shocked when I went on fb and saw that my mom had scanned some old pics from when I was little for my birthday.  It was a wonderful shock, and  I still can’t believe she pulled the whole thing off. Here is my dad, me, and my mom before the rest of the family made their appearance.  I just love everything about this picture from the clothes, the hair, the quality of the photo and of course most of all, the 3 of us together!!!!

Shameless Plug…

My grandma’s new book has just come out.  I say new cuz this is not the first book she has written, but it is the first one that has been available on big sites like Amazon and Barnes and Noble.  We didn’t even know until my mom googled it and up popped all these sites where you can buy the book.

As I haven’t read it as of yet, I cannot properly give a book review…but I can say this: It’s my Grandma’s Book!  That’s all the review I need to give Nevertheless, I will read it when a copy makes its way over the sea…

Here’s the cool thing.  My grandma sent my parents a bunch of copies to sell, and she said that ALL the proceeds will go to my mission. How amazing is that!!!  So, here’s the deal:  anyone who gives a donation of $20 or more to my mission will receive a copy of my grandma’s book!  OR if you just want to buy the book, the proceeds will go to my mission as well….its a win/win situation!

All the information to support me is under the Support Tab on my blog.  If you are interested in buying a book, let me know and I will put you in touch with my mom, who is handling all the orders Stateside.  

So, one last thing… I have to give a huge SHOUT-OUT to my Grandma!!!! Love you very much!!!

ps. now go out and get her book

Happy Birthday, Sis!!!

Today is Feb. 1st, my sister, Kristy’s birthday!  I won’t say how old she is in respect to her (and to me, since I’m her older sister) hehehe.  In honor of this fabulous day, I’m gonna tell you some of the things that make her an amazing woman.

1. She has the most giving heart of anyone I know.  She doesn’t take, but gives, and does it out of love.

2. This quality spills over to Micheal, her son (my nephew).  I’ve never met any child who has such a generous and giving spirit, and that says so much about her as a mom.

3. She is a single parent and does an amazing job!  I know its difficult for her, and she wouldn’t say this herself…so I have to say it for her:  She is a great mom!!!!!

4. She loves her family!  Even through all the problems and issues we’ve gone through together as a family, she never gives up on any of us (especially with my little brother and sister).  

5. All this being said, she is one of my biggest and most loyal supporters.  Every month she gives me more than I deserve to get in financial support.  She is a single mother, working full-time, with a middle-school child, yet she manages to faithfully support me…above and beyond what most supporters give.  She puts many people to shame!

6. She is now addicted to 24, and I cheerfully take full credit for that  We now both love Jack Bauer.

Kristy:  I love you and miss you tremendously!!!  May this day and new year bring more blessings to you than you ever dreamed of.  Seek God with all your heart each and everyday.  Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and let new people in….you’ll be blessed if you do.  Now go out and celebrate your birthday, even if I’m not there to do it with you. Love you!!!!!

The Wooden Bowl

I guarantee you will remember the tale of The Wooden Bowl tomorrow, a week from now, a month from now, a year from now….

A son went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and his 4 year old grandson.  The old man’s hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. 

The family ate together at the table, but the elderly grandfather’s shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor.  When he grasped the glass, milk spilled onto the tablecloth.

The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess.  ”We must do something about father,” said the son. “I’ve had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor.” So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner.  There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl.

When the family glanced in Grandfathers direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone.  Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food.  

The 4 year old watched it all in silence.

One evening before supper the father noticed his son playing with wooden scraps on the floor.  He asked the child sweetly, “What are you making?”  Just as sweetly, the boy responded, “Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up.” The 4 year old smiled and went back to work.

The words so struck the parents that they were speechless.  The tears started to stream down their cheeks.  Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done. 

That evening the husband took Grandfathers hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days, he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth spoiled.

(Thank you, my dear friend, Marlene, for sharing this story with me…it deeply touched my heart)

Is there anyone in your life you need to make amends with during this holiday season?

Thanksgiving from afar

There will be no turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing or pumpkin pie.  There will be no Thanksgiving Day parades or watching the Lions (probably) loose.  No leftover turkey sandwiches or soup…. 

…but there’s one thing I have, and thats THANKS.

Thankful for my family, my friends, and my supporters.  Thankful that God protects me everywhere I travel. Thankful for the pillow under my head at night and the blankets that cover me.  Thankful for internet (when its working) to keep in contact with those whom I love.  I am thankful to be alive and healthy and living the life I was created for.  Thanksgiving from afar!

What can I say?!?

Q: What do you get when you put a middle school boy in charge of leaf-blowing the front yard?

 

A: More hair drying than leaf blowing!  My nephew has the day off of school today so we are having one last day of bonding together…..adolescent style!

Prophetic Calling

If there were ever any doubts about where I’ve been, and where I’m going check this out……

This is a table runner a friend of my mom, Brendasue Warford, made her a while back (I think it was when I was actually in Brazil).  At that time Africa and Israel had not even come into play at all.  I thought I would live in Rio for the rest of my life….

….a few years later and this picture doesn’t look so random anymore.  It wasn’t even until I had told my parents about my passion for Israel when my mom said to me, “Maureen, remember the table runner?” (Indeed, I had not.)  She brought me to the table and we both just sorta looked at it for a moment before I said, “Brazil, Africa, and Israel; pretty prophetic.”

You can call this quite a coincidence if you’d like, but for me its much bigger than that.  God chooses to work in mysterious ways, neh? (take a closer look below)

  

Make your dash count

My Aunt sent me this video via email in memory of my cousin, Matt.  He was only a couple months older than I am, but is now in heaven.  He passed away unexpectedly when I was in Africa, so I was not able to attend the funeral; but I have thought about him often since that day.  This video really is beautiful and the message is so true. Please take a minute to watch through it…you will be glad you did. 

Props to my daddy

Last night I went to my dad’s class as an observer (not an evaluator).  He is teaching a Religions of the World class at the Bible School our church has.  Incidently, the topic of the night was Judaism, which was a nice tie-in to my leaving for Israel. Anyways, I was able to see him in action as a teacher… after all this time, I had never heard him teach before.  

Even though the class was only an hour, there were some good discussions and thought provoking questions raised.  I enjoyed seeing my dad in action, in his ‘element’.  I had been told by some of his students that he was a great teacher, and now I saw it for myself.  Good job dad!  Props to you!!!

My Mom’s Zebra

My mom thought I should have posted this before the messy room, so I better get on it.  I received a facebook message Sat. night from her saying that she was on a bike ride and saw a zebra in someone’s fenced-in yard with their horses.  At first I doubted and thought she was messing around, seeing a statue or something, but she was serious.  I mean, what is a zebra doing in West Michigan?  

Not that seeing a zebra for me is a big deal, I saw them all the time in Africa…heck, I had my own baby zebra, Kip,  living at my house for a while.  But they are supposed to live there, not here.  I just had to check this out!

On Sunday after church we all headed over to see this strange pairing, and there he was…grazing in the yard with the other horses.  An unexpected way to begin the week!

He looks a bit fatter than the African zebras. The economy must be better over here.

Caution: The following images might be unsuitable for sensitive eyes

Even though I’ve been staying with my sister, I feel like I’ve been living out of my suitcase for the past couple of months.  I have travelled quite a bit, but that still does not excuse my untidiness.  The other day I reached my breaking point and decided to FINALLY organize and clean up the room I’ve been staying in.  (My sister sure appreciates it as well.)  As you can see it was about time.  

View from the doorway

My dresser

Don’t you dare judge me! I’m usually very organized and not such a slob!!!

Volcano Tacos

Taco Bell has a new promo taco called the Volcano Taco.  We saw a commercial the other night for the new taco, which was made out to be this burning, spicy, blow steam out of your head type of hot.  Micheal and I decided to have a Volcano eating contest. We would both eat the taco and whoever had to take a drink first looses. We were both pretty pumped, but after eating it, we were both disappointed….it wasn’t very hot at all.  We needed a new strategy.

Round 2:  We decided to go at this contest from a new angle.  We still would eat the Volcano Taco, but this time with the hottest-hot sauce added to it.  Then if we finished the first one, we would eat another one. Here’s how it played out:

Here we are getting ready to begin the competition:

The first bite: (notice the impressive unity we have with our bites)

More eating:

Micheal in pain and ready to give up any minute:

And he finally does:

Which makes me the WINNER!!!!!

All I have to say is that I LOVE me some hot and spicy, so don’t mess!  The best part of the entire competition was being able to drink my beloved Guarana, from Brazil.  Priceless!

It finally happened!

Last night was the first time in years that my entire family actually appeared in the SAME photo!  My brother turned 24, so we all went out to eat for the occasion.  Rare, but precious moment for the Milham clan.