My Brother

Last night we were out watering plants for people. It is a great way of making money if it stops raining and the grass dries out and no longer needs cut! It is dry, so let it be know you are willing to water flowers! :) Anyway, we were just coming up on the last place (a rental house with a small flower bed). There were three men there, siting in lawn chairs inside the open, drive in garage. My brother said, "Okay, I'm going home," and started off.

"But what if we need you?" I called.

He did not pay any attention. We told the men what we were doing and did our job, finishing by putting the hose up. As we were leaving the drive way, I saw Jon, sitting beside the road, watching the house intently. "What are you doing?" I asked.

"If they'd done anything, I would have made my move."

I have an amazing brother. :)

God's Creation

"And God said, Let there be light and there was light" (Genisis 1:3.)

Have you ever really thought about creation? Maybe some of you have but it didn't hit me until today what really happened that day. I mean, I understood that God breathed out light, he molded a earth out of nothing but... It didn't click how huge it was until I got this strange picture as I memorized this verse for my camp. In my mind I saw God floating around over the vast expanse of waters (as in the verses before the one above) and God thought to himself in my picture, "Hmm, today I should make something. Light sounds like a good name. What will light be? Particals and waves of some kind. And what if there are many kinds and some go into some things and some are reflected and it makes things different colors? Yes, I like the idea of colors, too."

I mean...can you think of how incredable a mind it would take to think of the idea of particles and colors and light and waves and...all those other things? How do you come up with that? How could you possibly think of atoms and minerals? It goes on and on! I mean, just think of it. Did He plan it out first? Did He just decide to make something and did it? Did He want someplace to go on vacation and decided sunlight would make it look cheery? It is so hard to comprehend.

God is beyond our comprehension. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts," (Isaiah 55:8-9.) God tells us that we can't understand Him completely. He is so much bigger than we are.

Still, I think that it would make a wonderful dinner topic in Heaven someday. "Hay, God, how did you come to think of light?" God is so wonderful, so big, so amazing. I think it is enough to know Him and to stand in awe of Him.

I hope you all still feel small when you think of God. I hope you all still feel awed by His magesty. I hope you are brought to earth by His glory every time you start to think of yourself as big. And I hope the same for myself. My biggest fear is to become vain or prideful. I am small. He choose me because He could, not because of how important I am. I am nothing in comparison...and yet, He loves me.

Mandy

Kids Against Hunger Event

My church and I are doing a Kids Against Hunger Packageing event on the 23 of June. I've done it once before and it has amazed me how much you can do in such a short time. In one and a half hours, thirty of us packaged 4,356 meals! That means that 4,356 people were fed by our efforts! It doesn't take long to help, people, and ANYONE can do it. My church raised the money in three weeks ($1,150) just by taking personal donations! Then I got in contact with our local 'satilite' and set up an event. If you are interested in doing the same, you can go to their website: kidsagainsthunger,org and learn what 'satellite' is closest to you. You can just donate or you can ask about putting together an event of your own! 20% of your proceeds will stay here in America. 80% will go to countries all over the world! You can make a difference. The more money you raise, the more meals you can package and the more kids you can save! I have learned that by summer their packaging events slow down because schools go out of session and are no longer contributing! That shouldn't happen with so many of us with free time on our hands! Two hours, three hours, it isn't that much to sacrifice for such a good cause. I am still in my teens yet and I cordinated an event! If I can do it, you can do it too! You can make a difference!

Mandy

Conversations with the Characters #2

I wrote this for a friend and decided after a little thought that I wanted to post it. I wrote three 'conversations' prior to this. These are what I would say to my characters if I were to meet them (well, maybe.) They are funny anyway. So here you go.

Conversation #4:

Cherish: *knocks the sword out of Sam’s hands and sends him to the ground.* “Beat you…again.”
Me: *Falls out of nowhere* “You’re pretty good.”
Cherish: *Turns towards me, having not seen that I dropped out of thin air* “Thanks.”
Me: “You’re welcome. Hello, Sam.”
Sam: *gets up and looks at me closely* “Do I know you?”
Me: “No, but I know you.”
Cherish: “Isn’t that what the evil person always says in books before killing you?”
Me: *Frowns and thinks about it* “On second thought, I’ll take that back.”
Sam: “So I don’t know you?”
Me: “No. Maybe I should introduce myself. Hello, I’m Mandy, your author.”
Cherish: “Our what? Oh, I get it; Tess put you up to this.”
Me: “No, I was going to go see her and Jamie next.”
Sam: “Why?”
Me: *Thinks about it a moment then shrugs* “Because I can.”
Cherish: “You still haven’t told us who you are.”
Me: “Yes I did. I’m your author.”
Sam: “Sure.”
Me: “You can think I’m crazy if you like.”
Sam: “Deal.”
Cherish: “Sam, be nice.”
Sam: *Blushes* “Sorry.”
Me: “That’s okay. I’m just leaving. You can say I had an ODD episode if you like.”
Sam: “Odd? What is that?”
Me: “Overly Dramatic Departure, of course. Bye.” *Literally goes up in a poof of smoke*
Two minutes later: Me: *Smiles to herself* “I bet they believe me now.”