Lessons Learned from Disney

I'm 28 years old and just this week finally finished Mary Poppins. I've started it a few times, but never finished it. But now that I have, I'm glad. I really enjoyed it :) And I was thinking last night that one could learn quite a bit from re-watching Disney movies like I've done this week. I know, I know... That's exciting Spring Break fun, isn't it :)

So, here are a few lessons I've learned from the Disney movies I've watched this week.

1. "A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down."

Romans 12:12 says, Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 

Sometimes life can be difficult. Bad things happen. But, tackling the difficult times (the "medicine") in life with God and joy (the "spoonful of sugar") will help us get through.  

2. Be who God created you to be.

Psalm 139:14 says, I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.

God made each and every one of uniquely. In Frozen, Anna accepted Elsa's unique "gift" and showed her true, unconditional love. And when Elsa could finally accept herself, she could see that and reciprocate. We need to accept ourselves (and others) for how God made us - uniquely, fearfully, and wonderfully made. 

3. Control your temper.

Proverbs 14:29 says People with understanding control their anger; a hot temper shows great foolishness.

In the beginning of Beauty and the Beast, the Beast is very quick to lose his temper, which causes all sorts of problems. But as time goes on, with the help of his animated staff and the beauty, Belle, he learns to control his temper. We need to do the same thing. 

What about you?

What lessons have you learned from Disney movies?

The 103rd Dear ____ Post

Dear Spring Break, I love you. That is all.

Dear Mandarin, You were the flavor of gelato I tried the other day. I'm still on the fence. By yourself you were a little weird. But mixed with vanilla, you were pretty good and tasted like these from back in the day...

Dear Sorting and Packing, You've been consuming my life since Spring Break started (minus the time I lost laying on the couch being sick). It's a lot of work. ...far more than I think I even realized. And I know I still have a ways to go. But I have to admit... It's so rewarding to see the progress I've made.

Dear Cold, You're what I had earlier this week and thought was over, but then came back yesterday. Boo to being sick on Spring Break :(

Dear Elisabeth Elliot, Since I first heard about your story, you've been an inspiration to me, as a missionary. I can't imagine the sacrifice made by your husband (and you). I was looking for a quote the other night and came across the one I included below. God, let this be my motto in life...

Dear Live Dead, You're what I'll be a part of when I come back to Senegal after my time of support raising in the States. It's exciting to think about working with people groups that have never heard the Gospel. It's exciting to think about building relationships with people that have never learned about the best relationship possible...one with Jesus Christ.

Dear John 12:24, You're the verse that God keeps bringing to my mind in thinking about what Live Dead means to me personally. I have to be willing to let my old self (plans/agenda/etc.) die, so that new life (in Christ) can grow. I know that this is an incredibly simplistic explanation, but it's an easy way to think about it.

Dear A Higher Missions Budget, You're what I'm going to have to raise to come back to Senegal. My monthly (and most likely my cash too) budget will be a little more than tripling. And while that number is really high, I know that God's in control of my life. ...of every single part of my life - including raising my budget. And I know that God has called me on this new adventure and I know that He will supply all my needs.

Dear Isaiah 41:10, You're the verse God brought to my mind as I was waking up yesterday and thinking about my sweet Daddy who's in the hospital again, battling yet another sickness/infection and facing yet another surgery. I'm so thankful for the One who wipes away my fears, who strengthens me, and who upholds me with his righteous hand.

What If...

In one of my ESL classes, we spend a lot of our time in discussion. It's basically a conversational English class, helping students to get more comfortable with their spoken English skills. Earlier this week I was compiling some discussion questions for class and I came across a list of some interesting What if... questions. And that got me thinking... 

Why not do a "What If..." post on here? So without further ado...

What if you could have a conversation with any living (famous) person? Who would you choose and why?

Hmm... This was a tough one. 

I was thinking about this one almost all day. I know some people won't understand this, but... A small part of me would really like to meet President Obama. After all, he is the leader of my country. And while, I'm by no means his number one fan, I'd still love to have a conversation with him. I'd love to find out why he's chosen to do some of the things he's done and why he's made some of the decisions he's made. And you know... More than that, I'd love to tell him that I'm praying for him and his family and discuss the Bible and the love of Jesus with him. I think that too often Christians criticize and criticize the man and forget that we have to love him and pray for him. So, I'd love to have that chance in person.

What if you could have a conversation with any dead person? Who would you choose and why? 

Of course I'd want to have a face to face talk with Jesus. I mean, come on... It's JESUS...the greatest person EVER! But past Jesus... 

I think I'd pick my mom's mom, who died before I was born. My mom, aunt, and older cousins have told me so many stories about her and I've seen pictures of her. But to have the chance to actually meet her and talk to her and tell her about my life... Well, I think that'd be pretty sweet!

What if you were required to write a book? What would your book be about?

You know... I've actually thought about this. I have a couple different ideas.

1) I had an idea for writing chapter books (for kids) about students in an international school (kind of like the one I teach at now). So each book would be about a kid from a different country or different background. But they all center around activity at their international school. How cool would that be?! :)

2) I think an area of education that's majorly underrepresented/studied/understood is non-native English speaking students that have disabilities. It's a tricky area. As the teacher, you don't know if the difficulties they're having is from having to learn a new language OR from having a learning disability OR both. It's something I've been doing a lot of research on (and have almost finished a paper on). And if I were to ever get my doctorate, I'm thinking I'd find a way to do my dissertation/research on it. 

What if you knew in advance that you were going to be stranded on a desert island and were only allowed to bring 3 things (not counting the clothes on your back)? What would you bring?

1. my Bible
2. a swiss Army knife
3. a magic genie that grants unlimited wishes :)

What if happiness were the national currency? What job would pay you the most?

I'd pick a modified version of my job now. I'd still be a missionary. I'd still be teaching in some way. But I'd also be working at an orphanage somewhere in Africa. I really have a heart for the unloved, the unwanted. That's my dream job.

Now for my readers... 

What if you could add a question to this list? Leave me a comment with your question. What question would you add? Once I get enough, I'll write a new What If post...

My One Thousand Gifts #'s 130 - 142

One Thousand Gifts

Each week, I'm highlighting new items I've added to my list of one thousand gifts. These aren't always big things. In fact, sometimes it's the littlest things that stick out the most. 

This week, I've added 13 new things...

#130 - good Parent Teacher Conferences

I'm thankful for good meetings, sweet parents, and the work I was able to get done in between conferences.

#131 - Spring Break

Woohoo!!!! :)

#132 - ear plugs

They're building a building just behind my  apartment building. And since they like to start building WAY too early in the morning, I've been thankful for ear plugs every morning this week. Let trying to sleeping late continue :)

#133 - a zapper 

I'm so thankful for this amazing invention! And while I realize all creatures have a purpose I see no reason in letting mosquitos live :)

#134 - sermon podcasts

I've been listening to a few different sermon podcasts each day since being on Break. I turn them on in the morning and have them playing as part of my morning devotions. And I've been turning them back on at night when I'm cooking and eating dinner. It's been nice incorporating a little extra church into my days.

#135 - progress in the sorting/packing process

In the beginning, I drug everything out of all of my cabinets, drawers, closets. I wanted to make sure I could see everything I had and go through it piece by piece to decide whether I'd keep it, give it away, sell it, or trash it. I'm glad no one came by while this was going on because it looked like a tornado had hit my apartment. But I knew there was method to my madness. And it's been nice to see progress each day since starting this massive sorting process. And FYI...it no longer looks like a tornado hit :)

#136 - time to sort/pack

When I have a big project to tackle, I like to reserve a big chunk of time to get it done. I'm not a big fan of working on it for a few minutes here, a few minutes there. So knowing that this sorting/packing process is a big one (possibly bigger than when I moved to Senegal 4 1/2 years ago), I knew I wanted a big chunk of time to get it done. That's why I waited 'til Spring Break to tackle it. Thankfully, we have 2 weeks off, so my plan had been to do a little bit each day and get it finished. So far I'm on track with what I planned, so all's good. What a blessing this time is (and has been)!

#137 - Skype working again

Last week, Skype decided not to let me (or anyone here) making calls to landlines/cell phones in the States. Well, that wasn't great since I needed to start contacting pastors and setting up services for when I'm back in the States. Thankfully, though, Skype started back working on Sunday. Praise JESUS!

#138 - water filter

As I was cleaning and then refilling my water filter the other night, I realized that I sometimes take this thing for granted. Because of a filter like this one (...which was in my first classroom at DA), I can have safe, clean drinking water and ice. So I guess technically this isn't a "little" thing to be thankful for, but still...

#139 - the option to rent movies through itunes

Sometimes I don't want to pay $20 for a movie...especially if it's one that I'll probably never ever watch again. So I figured I'd finally use up the last of my itunes credit from Christmas to rent a few movies, since I have more free time than usual.

#140 - not setting an alarm

Ah... It's pure bliss not having to listen to that obnoxious alarm in the mornings. Ha! :)

#141 - international calling/texting

I'm thankful that when there's stuff going on with my family, they can get in touch with me so I'm not totally out of the loop. I'm also thankful that I can call/text them too. It may cost a lot, but it's so worth it sometimes. ...especially when there's health issues going on (which seem to be all too common with my family).

#142 - this quote

Since starting my list of one thousand gifts, I've made it my mission to focus more on the seemingly little things in life. The last thing I do before going to sleep is think about (and thank God for) the "little" things He's blessed me with during the day. And the first thing I do each morning is think ahead about the things I know will be coming - and thank God, in advance, for those blessings too! I found this quote this morning while searching for something else and loved it! 

And in case you want a recap of the other things on my list, you can find them below...

1-3

4-16

17-24

25-28

29-34

35-40

41-43

44-48

49-55

56-59

60-64

65-69

70-74

75-84

85-89

90-96

97-105

106-110

111-123
124-129

The 102nd Dear _____ Post

Dear Spring Break, You're finally here! Oh, you have no idea how happy I am to see you!

Dear Sorting and Packing, You're my primary plan of activities for Spring Break. Two suitcases never seemed so small until I started trying to scale everything down to that amount. 

Dear Corn dogs, Funnel Cake, and Duck Dynasty, You're what I shared with friends last night. What a fun way to start the Break!

Dear Clothing Swap, You're what I visited this morning. I donated a LOT, which thankfully helped me  get a head start on my sorting/packing process. And I only brought home a few things. So YAY for not bringing home a lot more things to pack! And my favorite part of the swap was walking around with a friend and each of us picking up things to get and finding out the other had brought them. :)

Dear Let it Go, I've had you stuck in my head all week. I'm thinking somebody working for Frozen knew what they were doing. Ha! :)

Dear June, I can't believe you're when I'll be leaving Dakar and heading back to the States to begin a time of budget raising to help me be able to come back to Dakar and work with the Wolof people. I've been in Dakar for almost 5 years. It's going to be so weird to be "home" for that long...

Dear Teaching Job, Since I won't receive a salary with the A/G while raising support, I've been given permission to get a teaching job. Praise Jesus for that! I'm praying hard and filling out applications, mailing resume's, and contacting principals, all the while hoping for just the right job to open up and principal to hire me. *To anyone reading this, feel free to help me pray for this...and more specifically, for a job near my parents so I can live with them and help them out too!

Dear Confused, You're what some people have been (and might be after reading the above item on this list). I've had a few people ask what will happen to their monthly support if I'm not receiving a monthly salary. Well, it's actually going to be a good thing... The money will go into my AGWM account and will help raise my "cash" budget. This is the side of the budget for one-time ("cash") donations. So anyone sending in monthly pledges/commitments will still be helping me raise my budget!

Dear New Blog Series, You're what I'm planning to start this coming week. You're going to highlight all the details surrounding this new change in my missions adventure :) P.S. I love the idea of it being an adventure. How cool is it that God calls us on adventures! Don't you agree?! :)

Dear A Mouthful of Air, You're the title of the book I'm reading right now. You're a book on language and how our bodies produce language. And while you may sound a bit boring, you actually are pretty interesting. The whole concept of linguistics has always been fascinating to me. In fact, if I'd went on to get my doctorate, that's what I would've studied. I totally checked out the doctoral program in linguistics at Vanderbilt, but considering I can't really afford another degree due to the fact I'm already in student loan debt up to my eyeballs, I'm thinking I'll refrain. ...unless some incredibly rich person wants to donate to the cause. Ha! :)

Dear God's Timing, You're the title of the devotion topic I shared in staff devotions yesterday. ...a little ironic considering my current frustration with Uncle Sam and having to pay the government instead of them giving me a tax refund. I seem to be wondering "why" instead of telling God, "ok. I give you control." I'm thinking He's trying to teach me a lesson. Hmm....

Dear Habakkuk 2:3 - You're one of the verses I used yesterday when I had to lead staff devotions. ...a verse I've read many times before, but never really thought much about it. Thanks for the lesson you taught me this week.

My One Thousand Gifts #124 - 129

One Thousand Gifts

Each week, I'm highlighting new items I've added to my list of one thousand gifts. These aren't always big things. In fact, sometimes it's the littlest things that stick out the most. 

This week, I've added 6 new things...

#124 - a salad bar

Last Friday was Junior Carnival at my school and one of the meal choices was a salad bar with all the fixin's. It was so good!

#125 - a financial answer to prayer

No explanation needed :)

#126 - a testimony given in church

We had a local Brazilian missionary give his testimony in church this past Sunday. It was so amazing to hear how God worked in his life, even from a young age. I loved hearing his story, hearing how God worked through him, and how God's helping him now. 

#127 - a bake sale put on by kids

Some of our students had the big-hearted idea to have a bake sale to raise money for sweet baby Kylie and her parents. Seriously, y'all... These kids planned this event. They asked for people to donate treats to be sold. And then they worked, selling these yummy treats. What a blessing they were! I was so thankful for these kids and their big hearts wanting to bless someone else!

#128 - a box of brownie mix

I'd decided to make something for my students as a "Yay! We finished standardized tests!" treat, but didn't know what. Then last week I got a package from the States and it contained, among other things, THE MOST AMAZING BROWNIE MIX EVER (imagine me yelling that excitedly)! So it was a no brainer to make it for my kids. Oh my word... Thank you Jesus for brownie mixes that require hardly any work. Thank you for people that send them in care packages. And thank you for helping me earn a few extra "brownie points" from my kids :)

#129 - a borrowed word game

Yay for games that are fun and educational!

And in case you want a recap of the other things on my list, you can find them below...

1-3

4-16

17-24

25-28

29-34

35-40

41-43

44-48

49-55

56-59

60-64

65-69

70-74

75-84

85-89

90-96

97-105

106-110

111-123

My Life in Color

*source*

"Red protects itself. No other color is as territorial. It stakes a claim, is on the alert against the spectrum." - Derek Jarman

What's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear this color? coke

What is your favorite item of this color? tomatoes or salsa

What is your least favorite item of this color? blood - as in, seeing blood - dr. offices/hospitals creep me out

"Blue is the only color which maintains its own character in all its tones. It will always stay blue; whereas yellow is blackened in its shades, and fades away when lightened. Red when darkened becomes brown, and diluted with white is no longer red, but another color - pink."- Raoul Dufy

What's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear this color? the sky

What is your favorite item of this color? a clear sky

What is your least favorite item of this color? I can't think of anything...

"How wonderful yellow is. It stands for the sun." - Vincent Van Gogh

What's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear this color? giraffe

What is your favorite item of this color? lemonade

What is your least favorite item of this color? bananas

“When you are green you’re growing…” – Ray Kroc

What's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear this color? grass

What is your favorite item of this color? salad

What is your least favorite item of this color? those green mints you get after your meal at Olive Garden

"Orange is the happiest color." - Frank Sinatra

What's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear this color? the sun

What is your favorite item of this color? an orange (the fruit)

What is your least favorite item of this color? hmm...maybe habaneros...

"Nothing is more pleasant than to utter a pink word and see someone's eyes light up." - Gladys Tabor

What's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear this color? cotton candy

What is your favorite item of this color? strawberry ice cream

What is your least favorite item of this color? strawberry milk

"The moon is essentially gray, no color. It looks like plaster of paris, like dirty beach sand with lots of footprints on it." - James A. Lovell

What's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear this color? hair

What is your favorite item of this color? hmm... I have a gray skirt I really like :)

What is your least favorite item of this color? the little gray hairs that keep popping up on my head. UGH!

"Working in white makes people look into it. White is ethereal." - Jonathan Milne

What's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear this color? paper

What is your favorite item of this color? I love the citron (lemon) sorbet you can get here and it's white.

What is your least favorite item of this color? the stack of white papers I have to grade, but put off 'til this weekend :)

"Time moves slowly, but passes quickly." - Alice Walker from The Color Purple

What's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear this color? Violet from Willy Wonka :)

What is your favorite item of this color? grape soda

What is your least favorite item of this color? grape juice

"The color, brown, is anything but nondescript. It comes in as many hues as there are colors of earth." - Barbara Kingsolver

What's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear this color? mud

What is your favorite item of this color? obama ice cream in Dakar - yum!

What is your least favorite item of this color? sand/dirt/mud

*source*