mamma's don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys...

...or do. it's kinda manly. i mean, have you seen 8 seconds? cowboy up.

lately, i've been re-embracing my southern roots. aaand i love it. 

keep me below the mason-dixon line, please.

anyway...as of late:

for halloween i was Luna Lovegood and my friend was Harry Potter:

Photo by: GrantLHarrison - check him out. so good.

--i also made the same cake again that i made last year.

--me and my sister went to see Wicked at Robinson...so good! wish i could see it on broadway!

--it's competition season again: my squad won 1st last weekend, we have the last one this saturday, but that means i have to miss the church retreat - sad.

listening to: if i die young - the band perry (re-embracing being a southern girl, remember)

drinking: v8 v-fusion light-pomegranate & blueberry

student quote: child development unit-talking about feeding infants and burping them after..."do humans have to do that too? do we burp so we don't get belly aches & gassy?" my response "babies are humans."

current love: new rain-x wipers - it's like putting contacts in for the first time. for real.

that's all.

loves! leah marie.

goodness

it's kind of great how the Lord knows exactly WHAT to teach you and HOW to do it.

my year (a vague synopsis): 

lesson one: aha moment - women's retreat, listening to kari jobe's the more i seek you (last spring)

lesson two: aha moment - reading psalms under the mosiquito net on my bed in haiti (july)

lesson three: aha moment - reading james at home (early august)

lesson four: aha moment - learning about the same psalm from months earlier (mid september)

lesson five: what's next??

...it's neat to look back and see the perfect process (even before it's finished). lesson two couldn't have been understood without the prior realization of lesson one...and so on. really...i love it. 

goodnight. loves!

leah marie

dooon't stop BELIEEEEVING

be·lieve [bih-leev]

1. to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so

2.to have confidence or faith in the truth of 

3.to suppose or assume; understand 

4.believe in: a.to be persuaded of the truth or existence of b.to have faith in the reliability, honesty, benevolence of, etc...

James 1:5-8: If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. 

Highlight of the day: i'm walking around my classroom "monitoring" - i stop and look up. what do i see? one of my students leans over, grabs her shirt and kisses it. yes ladies and gentlemen...one of my students kissed justin beiber right in front of my eyes!!! she looked up and made eye contact with me...needless to say the next 5 minutes were anything but productive for the entire class. 


night! loves.

HaitiLove

Well...it's been a while since I got back from Haiti but the country and the people there are still very much in my heart and on my mind. I thought I'd share a few photos from my trip.

This is where we slept. There were three of these buildings. We arrived on the 4th of July, so the Haitians hung an American flag for us!!! This was definitely a foreshadowing of how awesome these people are!

Here are a few more pics from the place we stayed:

These were the bathrooms they had built on site. There were 2 toilets and 2 showers.

The picture on the left is of the ditch they were digging in front of our buildings after the first night's monsoon. The rain completely flooded one of the buildings. So they're working on fixing that problem. The picture on the right is of the water tank that provided water for the toilets and showers. FYI: in order to get water in the tank they fill up a five gallon bucket at the well, then carry it to the tank, climb up the ladder and dump it in. Repeat. These people are amazing.

These are just few of the sweet people I grew to love:

I miss these ladies!!

This is Zophonie. She's awesome!

This is Nikenson. He's 11. And a cool dude.

This is Roody. This man is amazing! He was such a huge blessing to us and our trip. Not to mention the huge blessing he is to his family, Haiti and the church there!

One day we got to visit a local orphanage:

These were a few of the girls I got to hang out with.

Here are few pics that show the real potential and beauty of this country:

 

I have more pictures but I don't want to get too carried away. If you want to see more (really good) pictures check out http://epochchurch.org/haiti/ Grant (who is a professional) put some pictures up there from our trip. You can also read the entries that were posted for each day we were there.

My prayer for the church in Leogane and the people we met is Ephesians 1:15-19. 

that's all, I suppose. 

love!

leah marie

We're Back!

I can't even begin to explain my time in Haiti. It was unlike anything I have ever experienced (in a good way). I have no appropriate words to describe it. It was tremendously encouraging. It is a dark land but the Lord is at work and so very present! The people there are amazing. The toughest, hardest working people I have ever encountered. They have so little, but many of them have so much! So much loss and yet so much hope, so much pain and and yet so much joy, so much love! I am still learning and processing everything from the trip so maybe more will be shared later. But for now, this will do.

Please pray for the church in Haiti! :)

PS-The stomach hasn't been the same since, but it was so worth it! I'm hoping to see the doc soon.

loves!

leahmarie.