Love My Sponsored Kids!

...............................Monica Vilca, Age 7, from PERU!!...............................



...............................Karen Yanira, Age 7, from El Salvador...............................



................................Revathi, Age 11, from India...............................



...............................Pued, Age 7, from Thailand...............................



...............................Fogan Daniel, Age 9, from Togo...............................

An Uncertain Future

It's been a couple of months since I've blogged. I have been wanting to share an edited excerpt of a journal entry I wrote on the plane on the way to Peru this September. I wrote it with the jitters of a bride-to-be, yet also as an individual reflecting on the ageless question of the "problem of pain" and the fear of it.

"I don't even have words to describe. Two and a half hours until my whole world, my whole life, my whole future changes. I have begun a story with an uncertain ending.

I just watched a powerful movie called the "Shawshank Redemption" which addressed my deepest fear - What if bad things, horrible, unspeakable, life-destroying things happen to good or innocent or God-serving people for no reason? In the video it did - over and over and over. Guess what? In life it does too - the Holocaust and the horrific stories we hear about people like Corrie ten Boom and Eli Weisel, the mistreatment of the Native Americans when our country was first settled, the slavery and social injustices endured by African Americans later on, and a million individual stories of pain, injustice and loss that have occurred in the past and still occur every day.

What I realized from watching this film is that in every situation I have the choice to "start living or start dying," as stated by Andy Dufresne, the movie's main character. This man was falsely convicted of the murder of his wife and unjustly imprisoned for over 20 years. In the midst of a seemingly hopeless situation, Andy started a library for the inmates, slowly became the overseer of the entire prison's finances, and when the exact moment was right found his way to freedom. Year after year passed while this man was forced to live behind bars, with an uncertain future ahead of him. Silently and stoically chose to live and chose to hope.

I am afraid. I am afraid of loosing my luggage, with my gifts for my soon-to-be Peruvian in-laws. Afraid of Max's visa being denied. Afraid of not earning enough money to pay the rent. Afraid of failure at work and in relationships. I am afraid of so many things... Yes, I have lived with fear. I suppose we all have. But now I have begun to ask myself, today will I begin living or begin dying? Hope or despair, life or death. My choice today can't change what has happened, but it could make a world of a difference on what does happen in the future. Choosing to be afraid, to let fear, worry, and "what-ifs" clench at my heart is like choosing to walk around with death growing inside of me. Life is uncertain, but perhaps my response doesn't need to be."

1 Peter 1:3, 4
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you..."

John 10:10
"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."

New Life, New Home!

As of Wednesday, July 21st, I will be living at McDuffee Brook Place in Gonic, NH. It is funny to me to be moving to a town in New Hampshire that I never even knew existed! The 2000 NH Demographic Report said the population was 4000 :) Perfect! There is a town school and pool within walking distance! A couple miles down the road in one direction is the Rochester Golf Course - maybe I'll learn how to golf (ok, probably not, but maybe!) - and a few miles down the road in the other direction are 3 real farms that are up and running, and one even sells fresh veggies and 4 different varieties of home-grown popcorn! Yummy! I hope Max likes it because it is in a bit of a neighborhood area, but also with a nice balance of country. It's only 5 min from work, which I love, and about 30 min from Portsmouth.

Engaged! (Take Two)

Dearest family and friends,
I wanted to write today to share the exciting news that I'm engaged (again)! It took a year to work through some questions about culture, language, and our individual dreams for the future, but today I can say with confidence that I believe that Max Vilca is the one for me! Let me clarify by sharing that I don't think that there is just one person who can make any of us happy, but that Max and I have both made the choice to do this "life thing" together come what may. With our love for each other, our families beside us, and our faith to help carry us along, we are eager press on, hand in hand, to what the future can hold.

It seems that with Max and I everything comes in twos - two countries, two cultures, two engagements, and we are also planning two weddings! Our first celebration will be held on September 18th, 2010 in Trujillo, Peru and we are looking at June 18th, 2011, somewhere in New Hampshire, as being our second special day....so you can tentively save the date, though a lot depends on small details...*cough*...like visas. :)

Continuing with the them of two's, I'll share the quote on our Peruvian wedding inviations, which reads reads:

"Two hearts, one love.
Two promises, one covenant.
Two lives made one in Christ."



~~~~~Chains do not hold a marriage together. It is threads, hundreds of tiny threads which sew people together through the years. ~Simone Signoret~~~~~

Just like the quote above, I feel that it was many little threads that wove my heart with Max's and his to mine. Long before I ever visited Peru, I can see that my travels and studies had been preparing me for the international marriage I would one day choose for myself. Max also had joined with many American service teams who came to his country and found himself forming special friendships with these people. Back then, if someone told either of us that we would actually marry someone from another country, and if they had explained all the work it would involve, we would probably have told them that they were crazy. Today, though, my heart has become woven into the fabric of a society, a family, and most of all my truest love and friend. Even though there are many uncertainties and challenges ahead, I am happy about embracing the tapestry of my life and the many threads that have woven me together with Max today.

Peanut Butter Cup

Not only are peanut butter cups my all-time favorite candy, but they are now my all-time favorite bunny! Today got a new 8 week-old bunny that is a cross between a Holland Lop and a Fuzzy Lop - both small breed bunnies (3-4 lbs full-grown) that are very tranquil and super-cute with their loppy, floopy ears! My rabbit is named Peanut Butter Cup because of her pretty peanut butter brown and milk chocolate colored fur.

My bunny is so friendly and such a love bug that she sat completely contented on my lap during the drive home from her first home in Rochester. This is a HUGE change from my last bunny a Creme d'Argent bunny who definately couldn't sit still.

Here are a couple a bunny jokes I found today...(get it bunny/funny :) hehe)

---How do you know carrots are good for your eyes?....Have you ever seen a rabbit with glasses?

---What did the bunnies say when the farmer caught them kissing in the gardent?.....Lettuce alone!

---Why was the bunny crying?....He was having a bad hare day.


Ok, now that I've completely made your day with my jokes...this is Emilerts signing off to go play with her new bunny buddy!

A Walk Down Memory Lane and Some Refections on Stress

Going through old papers and letters can be both an enjoyable and bittersweet experience. Today I started tackling some boxes of high school notebooks and binders. (Yes I have kept every note and test I've ever taken!) Finally I was able to toss several of Mrs. Spencer's LOOOOONGG history study guides, Ike's chemistry lab reports, and even most of the French book exercises Miss Davis assigned. It was sad to say good-bye, but sweet to be reminded of all the good times I had in high school. I'm saving just a couple memories, an important test or paper from each class, so I can show my kids someday...and I suppose partly for myself to prove, yes, I have been there, done that, and I made it through!



While I was cleaning out I started refelcting on stress and how our society puts so much pressure on performance - for not only adults in the work world but also teenagers in their schools. I particularly remember being very stressed over history...way TMI! and Chinese...how in the world do you study an random grouping of lines that make up the characters? A lot depends on the person, and I suppose other classes I found easy, some students may have been intensely stressed over. I just wonder, do we need to be placed under stress or is it ok to avoid it? I see so many times stress has helped me achieve what I would have otherwise thought as impossible...other times it has deabilitated me. Where is the balance?

I have always been a person who can get caught up in performance and achievement, and I am now reminded of my college French professor's favorite verse:

Micah 6:8 (New International Version)

8 He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.

and I also like the Message translation:

8But he's already made it plain how to live, what to do,
what God is looking for in men and women.
It's quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor,
be compassionate and loyal in your love,
And don't take yourself too seriously—
take God seriously.

I guess what it comes down to, isn't performance and achievement, but who I am with the little choices I make along the way. Should I welcome or avoid stress, well, I don't know, but I do know that the most important thing is to humbly walk with God through whatever comes my way.

Calef's Crack-ups

There are many amusing moments at Calef's Country Store where I work. Some I get to share with the customer, some with my co-workers, and some it's best if I just keep to myself.

I worked at the cash register most of the day today and started noticing people's names on their ID's and credit cards. One woman had the last name "Resta." It was tough, but I kept myself from asking, "Where is the "Resta" the family?"

Another name I saw was "Joan Wade." Do you think she ever gets confused with the famous cowboy?

The First of Emilerts

So I'm finally starting a real blog. I have been a blog admirer for years and never quite understood how people did such an incredible job writing witty posts and including dazzling pictures. I doubt that my blog will be as captivating as others, but I hope to be real and honest in my reflective posts and as fun as possible in all my others!

Thanks for visiting!