One of the reasons God made skunks

"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." Romans 5:1-5 Faith Triumphs in Trouble!
The Lord has caused these verses to come alive in me by the working of His Holy Spirit!
"If ye love Me, ye will keep My commandments." John 14:15
Oswald spoke this morning of something I thought I'd share with you. God doesn't force us to be obedient. "We obey Him out of a oneness of spirit. If we love God, we will do what He says without hesitation. If we hesitate, it is because we love someone else in competition with him... ourselves."
Just to make us think for a bit. What kind of music do we listen to? What kind of T.V. shows do we watch? When we hear the Lord's name taken in vain, does it hit us, or is it normal? We have a choice, and the help of the power of the Holy Spirit! If we turn on the radio, and hear a song that's really not such a great song even though the melody is catching, why don't we just turn it off? We allow ourselves to become so filled up with the things of this world and the ways of this world! If we took a step back for a few days and asked the Lord to clean out the things of this world that we are attached to, I believe the Lord will refresh us, and help us to see things from a more obedient standpoint.

I'm keeping busy here. I wake up at 7am, make the kids lunches and send them off to school at 8:30. I have to pick them up at 3 and then bring them to friends houses, hockey practice, and pick them up late from school when they want to play late. During the day I've been practicing piano and the violin; I'm blessed that they have those instruments in the house. I go for adventures on my bike to get to know the area better.
Last week I visited the children's grandparents, Oma Julie and Opa Kees, and they spoke dutch with me to help me learn it properly. Oma Julie also taught me to bake kruiden koek. I will continue to go there once a week and she is going to teach me all sorts of good baking and cooking recipe's, also a bit of gardening, practicing piano and of course, speaking dutch! It's good to have an Oma and Opa around! Next time you see yours, give them a big hug and a kiss!
I'm taking dutch classes twice a week with 9 other Aupairs from all over the world! I had the girls over for tea and cookies on Friday. It was supposed to be for just the morning, but we were having such a good time talking about our cultures and food and our impression of the dutch ways that they stayed all day! I hope Fridays will continue to go this way as well.
I'm walking the neighbor dog a few times a week. Her name is Puck and let me tell you, I have never met such an ornery dog! First off, she doesn't speak English, and she seems to know she doesn't have to listen to me. Second, she the most stubborn animal I've ever met; during our walk she sits down on the pavement and refuses to move... I've realized that she is waiting for a treat until she agrees to go any further. Of course I don't tolerate that behavior, so people walking by probably get a good laugh out of a Canadian girl tugging this dog behind her. And I think Puck's favorite thing to do is roll in *cough cough*. Disgusting... Don't worry, I really do get a good kick out of all of this. :D
I'm meeting lots of different people. Because the house is still finishing renovations, there's a bunch of different workers coming in and out, and lots of interesting conversations. There is one guy who is pretty hilarious. He works part time as a butcher, and also as a house super cleaner. He couldn't believe I knew all about dutch meat (thank-you Holland Shop. Centre!) and we talked about it for an hour! Who could think meat could be that interesting? But my favorite discussion was when we got on the topic of skunks. "So you go for a walk outside, and you see them walking around and they go "pheuww" everywhere? And the smell comes in the house? Even though the windows and doors are closed?" He just couldn't believe it. "And the smell lasts for 10 minutes?" Me: "Yah, and if you get sprayed by one, you smell for 20 days." "NO! Don't you take a shower?" Me: "Yah, but you still smell for 20 days." "Don't you use soap?" Me: "Doesn't help." He was fascinated! "Oh, oh, I want to go to Canada and see these stink things! These stink things are my friends!" Of course I lost it at this point, so we're both laughing our heads off with tears running down our cheeks. T'was great! Maybe this is one of the reasons God made skunks... :D
So now maybe you have a picture of where the Lord is guiding me here. All praise and glory be unto His name! May He lead us all in paths of righteousness!
~yo

(I tried again with pictures, but it's still not working, so bear with me!)