Addendum

(If you haven't read the post below, read that one first!)

A few minutes ago, I was getting myself ready to go out, and I hear a knock at the door and then the doorbell. I figured the boys were back for their kool-aid. But it was Nyny again and a little girl at the door with a bleeding elbow. Nyny frantically asked, "can you help her!?" (He's quite dramatic!) So, in they came again, and this time Nyny was my little assistant, getting out the band-aids and assuring Destiny that it wouldn't hurt when I washed it off. Nyny took off downstairs in search of the cat as well as his drink. When we were finished, I invited Destiny downstairs for a drink as well. She came down with me, and a few minutes later I hear more footsteps! Nyny had brought two of his friends, Marcus, and one who didn't tell me his name. Marcus wanted some kool-aid too, so I made some more. :) When we went upstairs, Marcus' dad was waiting for them, so I got to meet him. His name is Luis. We talked for a bit, and I was able to invite him to the Easter services at the Summit. They only live a couple of streets over. I am so excited I am about to bust!!! This is what I've been waiting for!!! :) :) :)

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Band aids and Kool aid

A little while ago I was sitting here, like I often do, with my lap-top on my lap... just checking out stuff online. All of a sudden, I heard a skid and then a pretty loud scream from a kid. I live on the end of a road, and there's a dirt road/hill that kids like to ride their bikes down, so I was pretty sure a kid had fallen off his bike. So I went outside, and I was right. There was a little guy, holding up his pant leg and screaming bloody murder. His older brother ran down the hill to check him out. I went over to see if he was ok, and realized that it wasn't really too bad... though for a 5 year old, anything bleeding is BAD! So in they came. I washed and bandaged Nyny's knee while his older brother, Saquaine checked out my house (which he deemed "cool!"). I gave Nyny a little packet of neosporin and a big band aid to take with him. I offered them some water, since that was all I thought I had, and in a typical 5-yr-old way, Nyny asked, "you got any Kool-aid?" And before I could even say anything he yelled, "hey Saqauine, she's got Kool-aid!" Yikes! I don't even drink Kool-aid! But, I thought about it, and remembered that I do have some Crystal light, and they wouldn't even know the difference. :) So I made some crystal light and they drank maybe two sips before going back outside. They asked me to save it for them though, and said they'd be back! hehe :) On their way out, they were met by another little boy, Elijah, who had ALSO scraped his knee and was in need of some good old soap and water, neosporin, and a band aid. His wasn't bad at all, but I figured it wouldn't hurt me to take care of his knee too. :) He was in too big of a hurry to stop for "kool-aid" though. As he ran out the door, he shouted, "thanks, Ms. Bonnie!" and a great feeling came over me. This may be the beginning I've been looking for... a way into this community. If all it takes is band aids and kool-aid, I'm in! But I do need to go to Wal-Mart for some real kool aid and more big band-aid suitable for scraped knees... I have a feeling they'll be in high demand. ;) Leanne... hope you're ready to be a knee bandager and kool-aid dispenser! :)





Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Hooray for a new roomie!!

God is so good! The weekend after Easter (the 14th) Leanne will be moving in! I'm so excited!! I will have only had to go without a roommate for a month (just enough time to enjoy the time to myself and be ready for a roommate again). It's crazy how it happened really. A few weeks ago Leanne and I had talked and I mentioned how we'd be great roommates. Well, she has a dog, and I have cats, so we quickly said, "aw man!" and moved on. Well, Friday night, while hanging out with the YPs, I mentioned what I was going to charge the next person who lived with me. It was a pretty low number, but I clarified that I would only take that amount if it was the "right" person... someone who truly wanted to live with me in this house... already knowing the issues that it has! Well, Saturday morning Leanne emailed me and said that "if the offer was still out there" she was finding a home for her dog! Now, before you feel bad for the dog (as I did), Leanne has been praying for a while about what to do with the dog because she hasn't been home enough lately for him, and she's also going overseas at some point and would need to find him a home anyway. Since Saturday, Leanne and I have talked A LOT... some about random stuff, but also about the house and roommates, and whatnot. I wanted to make sure she knew about ALL the issues of living in this house and the issues of living with the imperfect me! I know I'm not the perfect roommate, and even knowing what she knows, she still wants to live here. (She MUST be a God-send!) So... in a few weeks, I won't be alone anymore! Oreo will love the attention. Leanne is an animal person too, so Oreo and Wallace will be pleased. :) It's crazy how much we have in common. We're both way into missions, want to do something exciting in this neighborhood for Jesus, go to the Summit, work with kids (she's a nanny), are Tarheel fans!, and much more... we stood outside of Moe's last night by my car talking for over an hour about lots of stuff (mostly missions, but other things as well). I can't wait till we have more time to hang out with her and get to know her more. God is so amazing! I knew He had a plan in mind this whole time. :)

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

pictures of last week's projects (see below for details)

Hooray for home décor! :)

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

home repairs update

So, I said I would update with more detail about why I was singing that great kids praise song last night... once again I am sleepy, so I must be quick before I fall asleep on the couch. In a nutshell, a guy from my church (who just so happens to restore old houses for a living) is organizing efforts to do some of the major work that I've been meaning to have done since I bought the house. I've wanted to get the work done for a long time, but I haven't been able to find $3000 sitting around anywhere (which was one of the estimates I had for the work). Well... last night the guy from church called. The conversation went something like this, "hey Bonnie... email me a list of people who are willing to help with your house [the young adults from my church]. I want to contact them to set up a time to come work on your house. Oh, and all the stuff for the french drains, the pump under the house, jacking up the house and fixing the floor I was able to get donated." *pause - breathe Bonnie- what!?* Yeah... I heard him right... "donated." I don't know how... or who... but God is so amazing - that's all I need to know! If you knew how many tears I've cried over this house when things have gone wrong, or not as planned... my goodness. This is just more proof to me that trusting God is ALWAYS worth it. It's not easy, but it's always, always worth it. Goodnight!


Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

kids songs are fun

My God is so BIG
so STRONG and
so MIGHTY
There's nothing my God cannot do
(clap clap)
My God is so BIG
so STRONG and
so MIGHTY
There's nothing my God cannot do
for you!

Anyone out there know this great kids song? I have it in my head right now. I'm too sleepy to tell you why at this present moment... but I shall do that very soon. Just know that God rocks and so does my church! :-D

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

home beautifications

It's amazing how much "little" things can make a huge difference in the life of my little house. Yesterday my Mom and Dad came up so that my Dad could put down new tile in my bathroom. I've had the tile for a while now, and we'd just never been able to get together to do anything about it. So even though I had work (Sylvan) and then Oxford Manor Kids Club yesterday, they came up anyway and got to work without me! Dad had already refloored the bathroom (for the most part) by the time I got here. I got to hang out with my Mom while he worked. (Side note: usually I do help him, but the bathroom really isn't big enough for 2!) We ended up having to make a run to Lowe's for something, and while we were there, we picked up a curtain and valance for my living room window that has been uncovered this whole time. Dad hung them up before they left, and they look so nice!! He also helped me hang a picture that I've had (and hadn't hung) since Christmas. It makes the house look so "homey." I love it! It really is amazing what things like this can do. The bathroom now looks brand new (to me anyway). A couple months ago Dad and I painted in the bathroom and put in a medicine cabinet (which was a much bigger job than intended since Dad ended up having to run a whole new line of electricity into the bathroom for the lights on the medicine cabinet - my Dad rocks!). And I have my Mom to thank for the curtains. The same weekend that we worked on the bathroom, my Mom and I had sat in the living room hypothesizing about what would look good in that window for about an hour. During one of her and Dad's trips to Lowe's, she saw a curtain that she though I would like, so she bought it! (A bold move for her since I can be picky at times.) When we took it out of the package, it wasn't what we thought it was, so we took it back to Lowe's, and that's when we found the perfect valance to go over the curtain. When my camera has batteries again I'll have to take a picture so you all can see the latest improvements. I actually want to sit in my living room now! Oh... and today after church a guy is coming over to look at the major repair jobs that the house still needs. He is from my church, and he remodels old homes as a profession, so he'll know exactly what I'm up against when it comes to fixing my house. Let's hope he doesn't give me any devastating news!

In other news, a little over a week ago my best friend had her second baby, Lauren Avery Godfrey. When Savannah was born I was in South Africa, so I missed all of her being a baby. But this time I got to see the baby when she was less than a day old! She was teeny tiny (5 lbs 10 oz), so I was a little nervous about holding her at first, but she seemed to sleep just fine no matter how I held her. I love being an Aunt! :)




Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

that must be some church...

Fun story...

When I first interviewed for the tutoring job at Sylvan, I was talking to the boss and she made a few comments that lead me to believe she was a Christian. She said something like, "we serve an on-time God" a couple of times, and was wearing a bracelet that I think had the verse on it "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (If not that verse, it was definitely a Bible verse.) When we finished talking, I asked her where she went to church and she said something like, "oh... I don't go to church... I may never go again." Hmm... I figured that the day she hired me probably wasn't the best day to go deep, but I just mentioned, "well, if you ever want to come the Summit, you're always welcome" and I left it at that. Since I started working there about a month ago, I've been fortunate to be able to hang out with a few of the other tutors who are around my age. As far as I can tell, none of them are Christians, so it's been interesting getting to know them a little outside of work. The cool thing is, they like me! God has somehow given me favor in their eyes, and I am praying for ways to reach out to them without freaking them out. Well... today I went to work and as I was putting some of the books away, I noticed a new tutor. I thought she looked familiar, but I couldn't see her whole face and I wasn't sure. My boss was in the room, so I went to her and said, "the new teacher... is her name Stacy?" And my boss said, "yeah... does she go to your church?" When I said yes, my boss and one of the other girls I work with said, "ahh..." Apparently during her interview, they'd asked her what brought her to Durham and she had replied that it was her church. They remembered me saying the same thing. Diane (the boss) said, "wow, that must be some church." To which I replied, "you'd better believe it - you'll have to check it out sometime." Both she and the other teacher (who is also an assistant to Diane) said something to the effect of "yeah I guess so!" Wow! How cool is God in the way He orchestrates things?! Please be praying for God's name to be made famous in the lives of the teachers (and the boss!) at Sylvan. I pray that God will use me in some way to help reach out to them and show them how much He loves each of them. God is so good!

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81